Found
by Nyteflyer35
Summary: Odin levies an unusual punishment on Loki when he is returned to Asgard after his defeat on Midgard. When Harry Potter opens his door one morning to find a baby abandoned on his doorstep, he is reminded forcefully of his own childhood. He swears this child will grow up knowing he is loved and wanted.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**A/N:** **This story is based on a short drabble found in** _ **Vampirezdarkgurl**_ **'s "Crossing the Verses" collection. She has kindly allowed me to expand it into a multi-chapter story. Thank you, and I hope I have done your idea some justice**

 **A/N 2** **: Hi everyone, a new story for you all. This one may run about 4-5 chapters, not sure yet, though don't hold me to that as I tend to ad lib a fair bit and end up blowing out the outline more than expected! I will try and update around once per week or so, but as you all know, a lot depends on RL.**

 **I'd like to dedicate this story to my daughter and beta-reader Sharusha89. Thanks my lovely, though next time, it would be awesome if you could remember that you're supposed to be giving me feedback, not just getting sucked into a new story and impatiently waiting for the next chapter! :P**

 **PS: I own nothing relating to any of the Harry Potter or Avengers/Marvel worlds. I write for fun, not profit. Please R &R :)**

 **Found**

 _ **Prologue**_

Odin slumped back on his throne now that all of his advisers had left the throne room, taking Loki with them to allow their King time to come to a decision on Loki's punishment. He heaved a great sigh, looking, for the first time since Thor could remember, as if he could actually feel the weight of the 9 realms on his shoulders. Thor stood next to his father, waiting for him to make a decision regarding what to do with Loki, now that he had been returned to Asgard. He could see that Odin was reluctant to pass judgement on his son. No matter what had happened with Loki in recent times, he _was_ still his son and he loved him, despite what Loki had come to believe.

Thor placed a hand on Odin's shoulder, giving a firm squeeze to show solidarity and understanding. He knew well how his father was feeling. He could hardly believe that the man he called brother had hurt so many people in his quest to rule Midgard. He had truly strayed from the path they had been set on their whole lives. Not that he didn't understand Loki's bitterness.

When Loki had lost the throne of Asgard to Thor, it had been a bitter blow. Then, to add insult to injury, finding out that he was not Odin's true blooded son and had, instead, been taken away from his home realm of Jotunheim after a fierce battle, must have been so difficult. However, Thor had never dreamed that Loki could turn on their people like this. He had been such a loving, although mischievous, boy and had grown into a young man that Thor had been proud to call brother. Now he felt like he didn't know him anymore.

Finally Thor broke the silence. "Father, please, tell me how I can help you. Would you share your thoughts with me?"

Odin sighed again as he turned to look at his oldest child. His countenance was grave and he seemed to have aged considerably in the past few weeks. Thor was taken aback. It was rare for the AllFather to allow anyone to see his emotions. He was a strong ruler and made sure that no one ever say him otherwise.

"I miss the laughter your brother brought to this realm. I miss the sparkle in your mother's eyes when he pulled off a prank against the guards, or the other soldiers, or even you," Odin said as he smiled softly. "Mostly, I miss being able to hold my son. I might not have been the most demonstrative father, but I enjoyed the occasional times when Loki would let his guard down enough to seek me out for advice or just to vent and allow me to soothe his troubles. What am I to do with him now Thor? How do I help him?

"I know he must be punished for his part in Midgard's recent battles, but I find myself sympathising instead. If only I had been honest with him when he was younger and raised him to know that, although he isn't our child by blood, he is our child by choice. I wanted to give him a better life, to see if being raised with love would make him more peaceful that the others of his race. I constantly pushed him to be more like you, a soldier instead of the magic-user he was born to be. I made him feel like he was less in my eyes because he chose to wield staff instead of sword. It was no wonder he didn't believe me when I told him I considered him my own. I failed my son, and it hurts to know that there is no one to blame but myself for the situation we now find ourselves in. How can I punish him for what I essentially drove him to?" he asked, pleading with Thor to counsel him.

Thor looked at his father while he pondered the dilemma his proud father and King now found himself facing. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. His eyes brightened and Odin raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to share his thoughts.

Thor smiled at his father, for once feeling like maybe everything would go well if all went according to plan. "My father, what if you de-aged Loki and placed him with someone who is pure of heart? Someone who will love him and raise with the values that he should have? If we let that person know that he must be told of his heritage while growing up, so that he could better come to terms with it as he reaches adulthood, perhaps he can have a second chance to become what he could have been?" Thor finished in a rush.

Although he knew his father loved him and had chosen him as his successor, he still had moments of doubt of his own worth. When he had been banished to Midgard after his foolishness in attacking their enemy without his father's consent, he had felt the loss of Mjolnir keenly. His mighty hammer had been his constant source of strength and he felt weak without it. He knew it had only been lost to him because he had become arrogant and foolhardy, and he worried that he might slide back into that behaviour if he didn't keep a constant watch on his own actions.

Odin started to speak then stopped himself and thought deeply about Thor's suggestion. It's not like it wasn't within his power to do this, and he felt that perhaps the victims would feel like justice had been served. He became more excited the more he thought it over.

The King turned to look at his oldest son. He stood and placed a hand on each of Thor's shoulders. Looking him in the eyes he told him, "I am proud of you, my son. You have presented me with a solution that would be both merciful and productive. Loki could have the childhood he should have had without being constantly pitted against you in competition, and I would not have to imprison my son indefinitely. Thank you Thor, I appreciate your willingness to believe in your brother. I know that if he has the chance, he will become what I always knew he had the potential to be. I believe this with all of my being," he said as he gripped Thor's shoulders firmly.

Odin gave his son a fond smile before quickly turning to his chief guard and asking them to bring Frigga to him. He waited impatiently, drumming his fingers on the arm of his throne. Finally Frigga arrived on the dais, taking her seat beside him. Her entire posture was one of defeat, radiating sadness and despair. She knew that Odin had no choice but to punish Loki for his crimes and the mother in her despaired of ever holding her son again. "Husband," she said quietly, "what is it you need of me?"

Odin sat next to her, gesturing proudly to Thor beside him. "Our son has made a suggestion on how to deal with Loki that has eased my mind greatly. I wished to hear your thoughts on the matter before pronouncing judgement on him at Court," he said with a gentle smile for his beloved Queen. Frigga raised a curious but hopeful gaze to Odin's, waiting to hear this plan.

"Thor has proposed that Loki be de-aged and placed with a family of good standing on Midgard. This would allow him to be raised with gentleness and love and, hopefully, become the man we know he is capable of being. I want him to have this chance, to be able to grow up with love in his heart and compassion for his fellow man. Tell me, my love, what do you think of this suggestion?" Odin finished.

Frigga stared at Odin numbly, then seemed to shake herself out of her stupor. She turned her head and lost herself in thought for a moment. Finally, she turned to Odin and gave him a somewhat watery smile. "I believe that this will show mercy and yet honour the suffering of his victims. I will miss him, but he has been lost in one way or another for so long now, and when he returned was not the same. If he can be given a chance to be happy, I will support this decision with all my heart," Frigga replied.

The Queen turned to Thor and gestured him to her side. Thor made his way over to her and knelt in front of his mother. She placed a hand on Thor's cheek and bent forward to brush a kiss on his forehead. "I am proud of you, my son, for thinking of what is best for your brother and not allowing bitterness to take hold. Thank you," she said with a grateful smile, "for thinking of a way for him to have a new beginning."

Thor placed his hand over Frigga's on his cheek and nuzzled into her palm. "I love him too, Mother, and I will miss him greatly. However I know that he must be given the chance for redemption and peace. I hope that he will return to us when he is ready and greet us once again as family."

Odin turned to the guard and asked them to reconvene the court and have Loki brought back in to hear judgement.

After a few minutes, Loki came in, head held high but without his usual arrogant smirk in place. He well knew the seriousness of the situation in which he now found himself. If he was sentenced to the prisons in Asgard he knew his life was forfeit. No one had ever escaped the Asgardian prison, and he knew he would not be the first. They would keep him locked down and under constant monitoring to ensure that he could not use his magic to escape. He waited silently for his father to speak. _No, not your father, Thor's father,_ he reminded himself harshly.

Odin looked at his son with a sorrowful gaze. "Loki, son of Odin, we are convened to announce the sentence you will receive for your crime of waging war on a realm that is under Asgardian protection. Although we find it easy to understand the bitterness you hold that drove you to your most recent actions, we cannot simply forgive and forget. To this end, your sentence is thus. You will be de-aged and your memories removed. We will find a loving family for you to be placed with and you will begin again, with the chance to redeem yourself for your past actions." Here Odin paused, looking away from his son as he gathered himself before continuing. He sighed, then returned his gaze to Loki.

"I wish you well in your new life, my son. Although you likely despise us at this moment, know that we have every hope that you will return to us redeemed and ready to take your rightful place in this realm," Odin finished softly, his words for Loki alone.

Loki paled significantly, lowering his eyes to the floor and shuddering with horror at the thought of growing up….again! Puberty had been hard enough the first time, but to have to go through all of that again? The idea was torturous! He started to seethe the more he thought about it. Not that this was anything new to Loki, he seemed to always be angry these days. Ever since he had been lost to the void, he felt like he had only a tenuous hold on his emotions. The slightest thing would make him explode with fury, disregarding anyone who may be near enough to get hurt. He recognised, on some level, that he was not who he used to be, but had no idea how to become what he once was.

He raised his eyes and locked sights with his father once again, eyes blazing with fury. "So you would ship me off to be someone else's problem then? I am not worth the trouble of my supposed _family_ personally overseeing my redemption?" he finished, voice cracking brokenly on the word 'family'.

Odin drew in a harsh breath. "No, my son, never that. Understand that this is the only punishment I can give that does not end with you languishing in the Asgardian prisons, stripped of your magic and forever waiting to die. I could not bring myself to send you there, however I knew that you needed to be punished in some way in order for your victims to be given closure. This way, you have a chance. You can grow and learn to love and be loved. You will be able to have a family that will support you in all you do. No matter what, I hope you will remember that we love you. We will always want you with us, but this is something that needs to be done in order for you to have a new beginning. Where you will be going, no one will know your history. They will be told you name and your heritage in order to prepare you for your future, should you decide to return to us. There will be no judgement from those around you, as no one will know what you have done. My hope is to give you peace, my son. I would hope that you will grow up in peaceful times and have a normal childhood. One where you don't have to constantly compete against your brother for attention and recognition. Can you not see what a gift this could be for you?" he pleaded fervently.

Loki lowered his eyes again and refused to respond. He would not meet his father's eyes again. Thor watched his brother, knowing how he must be feeling, as if he was being thrown away. However, nothing was further from the truth.

Odin waited for Loki to acknowledge his words, his heart aching at the pain he had seen in his son's eyes. He sighed again when he realised that Loki was shutting him out. He knew that Loki would not hear anything else he said now, he had shut down completely and was standing silently, waiting for his punishment to begin.

With a heavy heart, and before he could change his mind, Odin intoned a few words in ancient Norse and the air around Loki began to glow. A bright golden aura surrounded him as he was lifted off his feet and hung suspended in mid-air. Loki met his father's gaze one last time, this time his eyes held remorse and a plea for understanding.

With a great flash that had everyone blinking furiously to regain their sight, he was lowered gently to the carpeted dais in front of Odin's throne. Frigga hurried over and picked him up, cradling him to her chest lovingly as she wept tears of sorrow for her son. Odin placed an arm around Frigga's waist and she turned to him, burying her face against his chest. She sobbed and held Loki close, and Odin rocked them both gently side to side.

Finally, Odin spoke softly to his Queen. "My love, we will find him a worthy family. One that will raise him with wisdom and honour. I will ask Heimdall to recommend a suitable family for him. He watches Midgard closely now that Thor has returned and should be able to tell us where we need to place him. I know Midgard has some magic-users. He will be placed with them so he can be taught to use his powers with compassion and wisdom."

Odin stepped back from Frigga, still holding her waist, and they exited the throne room, heading towards Heimdall and the Bifrost. They were in no rush to part with their beloved son, and so walked slowly, murmuring soothing words to Loki as he slept against his mother's breast.

When they reached Heimdall, he turned towards them. "My King, I have seen what you require of me and I have found what I believe to be the perfect person to raise Loki to his full potential. He is a warrior, a man of honour and pure of heart. Although he has suffered, he is strong in his determination not to allow any other to go through what he has. He is young, yet has already triumphed over a great evil. I will stand and wait for your word when you are ready for me to activate the Bifrost," he said sadly to Odin, his eyes resting briefly on Frigga as she continued to whisper to Loki.

Odin turned to Frigga and waited for her to let him know she was ready. Frigga looked up at Odin, knowing that she had to let Loki go. She could feel her heart breaking at the thought of possibly never seeing her son again. Odin waved a hand and a note appeared, pinned to the rich gold-embroidered blanket that now covered their son. He waved toward Heimdall and asked Thor to take Loki to the family that Heimdall had chosen. Heimdall spoke quietly with Thor and let him know the name of Loki's new parent and the location he was to be taken to.

Thor stepped towards his mother, and gently took Loki from Frigga's arms. She clung for a moment before letting her arms drop and turning back to bury herself in Odin's comforting embrace. Heimdall waited until Thor had taken his leave of Odin and Frigga before activating the Bifrost. With one last bright flash of light, the platform was empty and their children had gone, one to return soon, and the other they knew not when.


	2. Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: A welcome surprise**_

Harry Potter was in the sitting room of his house he had bought in Hogsmeade after the final battle, playing chess with Ron and thinking back over the past year since the war ended.

Harry had decided, once the fighting was over, that he needed to move into his own place and take control of his life. No longer would he allow his every action to be dictated by those around him. He was an adult now and it was time he started behaving like one.

For far too long his every move had been controlled by the Dursleys and Dumbledore. He had never had the freedom to do as he wished, like every other child. He made a decision not to enter the Auror corps. He had written to the current Minister of Magic, one Kingsley Shacklebolt, and advised him that he would be taking some time to figure out what he wanted to do now that he no longer had a homicidal maniac after him. Kingsley had not taken the news well, and in fact had tried to convince him by saying it was 'expected' that he would become an Auror and help protect the public. He was their Saviour and the public needed him to be visible in order to feel safe.

Harry had argued that he had been forced to dedicate the 7 years of his life that he had spent in the wizarding world to keeping the public safe and had never had anyone on his side apart from his two beloved best friends. They were the only ones he knew would stand by him, no matter what. No, he had decided to take some time off and live off his vaults for a while as he tried to figure out what was next for him.

So far, Harry had spent a lot of time helping to repair Hogwarts after the battle, getting his home ready to move into, and enjoying the company of his friends and surrogate family, the Weasleys.

When he mentioned to the Weasleys what he had planned, or didn't have planned rather, they were (for the most part) supportive. Only Molly and Ginny seemed to have a problem with his newfound determination. Molly had tried to mother him and tell him that he couldn't live on his own as he wasn't ready for that. He was just a child, she said, he needed to be watched over and guided into his future. She had informed him that, as his future mother-in-law, this was her job and she was going to help him as much as she could.

Harry had sat Molly down, away from the rest of the family, and calmly explained that he had never had a chance to be a child, that he had always felt older than his peers due to the way he had grown up. He had learned early on that he had only himself to rely on and he was unaccustomed to having anyone else's input.

He told her all about life at the Dursleys, how neglected he was, how unloved and unwanted they had told him he was, day in and day out. He told her how, when he found out about Hogwarts, he finally dreamed that he would have a place where he wouldn't be the odd one out. Where he wouldn't be the "freak" that the Dursleys had always insisted he was. He told her about his first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid, and finding out that he was famous, for something that he had no memory of, and that he honestly didn't feel like he had anything to do with anyway.

Harry insisted that he believed it was something his mother had to have done to protect him, as he reminded her there were many mothers who willingly took the killing curse for their children and those children had never had protection against something as insidious as the killing curse. He told her of his resentment towards the Headmaster, despite his great affection for the man. He mentioned how everyone he had loved had either died or used him for their own ends. He wanted to be able to make his own decisions, for good or bad, and know that he would be making a future of his own choosing.

By the time Harry had finished, Molly had been sobbing at hearing what Harry had gone through for most of his life. She had honestly never given much thought to it until he laid it out from his own perspective. She had thrown her arms around Harry and told him to take his time, and that they would always be there for him and would support him in any choices he made.

Harry hugged her fiercely. "Thank you Molly, for listening and understanding. I love you and your family so much and I would hate to fall out with you over this. It would kill me to lose you too," he whispered in her ear. Molly's arms tightened around him for a moment before she drew back, patting him gently on the cheek before getting up and returning to the kitchen. Harry followed behind her and sat between Hermione and Ginny.

Ginny immediately struck up a conversation with her mother about the wedding plans she wanted put in place. Harry knew he would have to speak to Ginny about this as well, but for the moment he was all out of words. He felt a hand slip into his and glanced over to Hermione. She squeezed his hand and gave him an encouraging smile. Ron leaned around Hermione to be able to see Harry, asking "Alright there mate?"

Harry smiled at them both, taking a moment before answering. "Yes, everything's fine now. I have so much to do! I need to get planning" he said, suddenly overwhelmed with the plans he wanted to get started on.

Hermione grabbed her bag off the back of her chair and pulled out a never-out quill and parchment. "Right then, let's start by making a list Harry. This will be a lot less overwhelming if you have a step-by-step plan for moving forward," she said as she started scratching away furiously with the quill.

Harry and Ron both stared at her in amazement before bursting out into laughter. Harry put his arm around Hermione's shoulders and squeezed gently. "Never, ever change Hermione," he said while still chuckling. "I love you sis, and I know you'll be able to help me with getting organised."

Hermione blushed but nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, none too gently. She cleared her throat then handed him the parchment and quill. "Start writing mister!" she said firmly. "I need you to write down your short-term goals so I can begin a list of steps to achieve what you want."

From that day on, Harry, Ron and Hermione had been inseparable, until Ron and Hermione had left for Australia to track down her parents and restore their memories. They had helped him to find the house, to furnish it, and move in. Ginny hadn't moved in yet, they were waiting until after the wedding for that. Truthfully, Harry was finding it hard to imagine Ginny living there at all. She constantly bemoaned the fact that he hadn't bought some big manor house, or renovated and moved into Grimmauld Place. She didn't think that his new home was 'fitting' for the Boy-Who-Conquered and his wife. He wondered if she remembered that he was just Harry, not some trophy husband.

Harry had started to wonder at Ginny's behaviour recently and wondering if she had always been so….selfish, or if this was a new development. He knew that war changed people, but usually it made them more open, more ready to accept change. It seemed their war had an opposite effect on Ginny. She had become very demanding, and almost shrew-like with the house elves until he had reprimanded her for it. He had reminded her that the elves were his friends, not slaves, and that they were there to help them, not be treated like garbage. Dobby had wailed openly (and loudly) at hearing his Great Master Harry Potter defending him and Winky to his future wife. He was honoured to be able to serve his Master Harry Potter.

Harry was startled out of his thoughts by Ron crowing "Checkmate!" loudly from the other side of the coffee table they were using to play chess. Harry shook his head in mock disgust and sat back in his chair.

"One of these days Ron, I'm going to beat you at this blasted game," he vowed.

Ron laughed, shaking his head. "It's all good Harry, you know how much I like it that this is the one thing you can't do perfectly and that I happen to be decent at!" he said, dodging the pillow Harry threw at him.

Harry launched himself across the coffee table at Ron, grabbing him in a headlock and proceeding to slap him about the head, cackling away madly the whole time. Ron started slapping back at Harry, laughing hysterically and pushing ineffectively at the arms locked around his neck. Hermione looked up from her book and shook her head, smiling indulgently at them both. She cleared her throat, getting their attention, and they froze in place as they stared at her questioningly.

Hermione laughed at their twin expressions and said, "Harry, someone knocked at the door. I'm gathering you didn't hear it over the noise you two were making," she concluded with a soft smile aimed his way.

Harry started, realising that he actually hadn't heard anything. He had already instructed the elves not to answer the door, explaining that he was worried about ex-Death Eaters coming after him and didn't want them to be collateral damage if someone decided to have a go at him.

He laughed as he untangled himself from Ron and made his way to the door. Opening it with a smile, he looked out but could see no one around. The smile dropped as he realised no one was there, but as he went to close the door a small whimper from the ground in front of him caught his attention. He dropped his gaze to the stoop in front of him and gasped, standing frozen at the sight of a small baby in a basket, laying on his doorstep.

For a moment Harry flashed back to his own arrival at the Dursleys. At another small sound from the bundle in the basket, he gently scooped the little one up, blanket tucked securely around, and cuddled the baby close, turning around and walking back into the sitting room. Hermione and Ron both looked up at him, staring in shock at the baby in his arms.

"Harry?" queried Hermione, her eyes rounding in amazement at what he now held.

"I don't know Hermione. There was a basket at the door with this little one in it. How could someone just leave a baby there like that?" he asked in a very soft voice. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off the baby since picking him up. He had pale, pale white skin and gorgeous jade green eyes. Lush black hair could be seen escaping the beautiful golden bonnet on the baby's head.

He finally looked away from the baby as he felt someone at his side. Ginny was staring at the baby and her face was anything but happy. In fact, she appeared to be mad as hell.

Ginny looked at Harry, her expression demanding an answer. "What in Merlin's name is this Harry?" she asked shrilly. "Did you sleep with someone and get them pregnant? Who was it? Who did you cheat on me with when you broke up with me, 'for my own safety'?" she demanded angrily.

Harry looked at her in shock, wondering how she could think he would do something like that. "Ginny," he said gently yet firmly, "you know I would never cheat on you. Even though we had broken up, I knew we would get back together if we both made it through the war, so it never even occurred to me to think about other women. I have been with no one, there is absolutely no way this child could be mine," he said strongly, leaving no room for doubt or argument.

Ginny snorted. "Yeah right. The kid has thick black hair and green eyes, just like yours. I'm not a fool so don't treat me like one. I'm going to floo call the Aurors to come pick it up, immediately!" she said turning away from him.

Harry reached out a hand and grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving away. "No Ginny, I won't be giving the baby to anyone. Someone left him or her here for me, and I will take care of them to the best of my ability. We always planned on having kids Ginny, this is just a bit earlier than we originally thought" he said pleadingly.

Ginny gaped at him, then she flushed red with anger. "Oh no, you won't Harry Potter! We are getting married tomorrow and I will not have the whole world finding out about your cheating on me by you showing up to the wedding with a bastard child! That is not how I want my wedding to the Chosen One to be remembered. No, we will call the Aurors and get rid of it, right now!" she shrieked.

Harry stepped back in shock at the accusation and the fact that she obviously did not believe him when he stated he had been faithful to her. He stood his ground, stating firmly, "No. Aurors are not required. I will go to the Ministry tomorrow and arrange custody. The child will be staying here. I will not turn it over to the Aurors to be dumped into a muggle orphanage or to be given back to parents who would willingly abandon it on a stranger's doorstep. Certainly not without finding out more about why they may have done something like this."

Ginny took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, knowing that Harry would not respond well to her usual method of yelling to get her way, not in this. She tapped her foot impatiently before speaking again. "Harry, don't be ridiculous. How would this look to everyone? The public has an image of us, expectations for their Golden Couple, and they will not like having that image tarnished with proof of your infidelity. I will be your wife and the Mistress of this household as of tomorrow, and no husband of mine will humiliate me in front of the entire wizarding world with something like this. The child will go and we will proceed with the preparations needed for tomorrow. Besides, you know I always planned to play Quidditch professionally if I can, at least for a few years. We were planning on having our own kids after that part is done. This baby will ruin everything that we have planned, and I will not allow it," she finished, as if that was all there was to it.

Ron got to his feet, coming to Harry's side. He looked at the babe in Harry's arms, noting that it did look a fair bit like Harry. However, Ron had learned the hard way in fourth year that Harry didn't lie. And especially not about something like this. He looked at his sister, noting that she had her most stubborn, argumentative face on, then looked at Harry, seeing by the determined look that he was already committed to the child. He made a decision then and stepped forward.

"Gin, you need to realise that Harry doesn't lie. And he definitely wouldn't lie about something like this. If Harry says he didn't cheat on you, then he's telling you the truth. There must be another explanation for this and we will find out what it is," he said soothingly but firmly.

Ginny turned her furious gaze on Ron then and he almost flinched back from the vindictiveness he saw there. "You would side with him against your own sister?" she hissed. "What in Merlin's name are you doing, Ron? You should be supporting me and making him get rid of the brat so we can concentrate on our wedding and our future!" she spat out.

Hermione, ever the peacemaker, rushed over and placed a gentle hand on both Ron's and Ginny's arms. "Hey, come on, there's no need to be so nasty about it. Ginny, I know you're stressed about tomorrow, but just take a moment to think about it logically. You know very well that Harry was left on his relative's doorstep all those years ago, obviously this is something he feels strongly about and you need to listen to him, not just dismiss what he wants," she said softly.

Ginny jerked her arm away from Hermione and stalked away from the group, only to begin pacing in the short entry way. She looked up and noticed that Harry was once again focussed on the child, and her anger bloomed suddenly. Without even giving it a moment's thought, she drew her wand and went to cast at Harry. Ron and Hermione both widened their eyes, drew their wands and cried _"Protego!"_ in unison, throwing a shield around Harry and the babe. Harry looked up startled, having been transfixed by the child's gaze, until he heard his friends' voices. He looked in shock at Ginny just as she loosed a bat bogey hex at him, one that would have certainly hit both he and the child had Ron and Hermione not thrown a shield around them. He stared at Ginny, unable to comprehend what had almost happened. When he finally managed to get his head around the last few seconds, he was suddenly furious.

"You would dare hex an innocent child?" he hissed menacingly at her. Ginny paled and stepped back in fear. "What the hell is wrong with you Ginny? I know you're spoiled and like to have your own way, and for the most part I give in because it doesn't really matter to me how things are done as long as they get done eventually. But this? You would hex a helpless child simply for the fact that I refuse to throw it away like so much unwanted rubbish? Who are you these days, Ginny? I feel like I don't even know you anymore," he finished, his voice having risen to a shout by the end.

Ginny stared at Harry in shock, noticing the dangerous look on his face, then looked at Ron and Hermione and noticed their protective stance between Ginny and the child Harry was holding. Realising that she had lost her temper once again and, this time, had gone too far, she blanched and turned back to Harry. "Harry," she said softly, looking at him pleadingly, "please don't throw what we have away. This child is not important to you, not yet at least. We _will_ find a good home for it, but it cannot be with us. How could you expect me to raise another's child?"

Harry merely looked at her, his face hard and his gaze holding pure contempt at her actions. She lowered her wand arm and turned, striding down the hallway without once looking back.

Harry stood there, watching her go, before calling softly, "Dobby!"

Dobby popped in beside Harry, excited as usual to be of use to his great master. He stopped hopping once he saw the bundle Harry was holding close to his chest. "Master Harry Potter Sir?" he queried. "Where did the babe come from?" he queried in bewilderment.

Harry turned to Dobby, kneeling down in front of him. "I found it on the front step. Could you please go and grab the basket it was in, I left it at the door, and bring it into the sitting room? Once I put the baby in there, could you please watch over him or her while I go and speak to Ginny?" he asked kindly.

Dobby bounced on the balls of his feet. "Yes, Master Harry Potter Sir. Dobby will do so immediately!" he said, before quickly popping to the front door and back to the sitting room with the basket.

Harry gently moved to Dobby's side and laid the baby down in the basket, making sure the blanket was covering it. He rubbed the cloth of the blanket between his fingers, noting the fine quality. The person who wrapped the baby in this obviously was wealthy enough to afford a very fine blanket for the child. It was a soft ecru with gold threads running through in multiple starburst patterns across the front of it. It was then that he noticed the note pinned to the blanket. The name on the front of the envelope was "Mr Harry potter". So, this child was definitely placed here specifically for him to find. He was going to have to find out shortly if this was baby girl or boy. He couldn't keep calling it 'it'.

Harry unpinned the note, pocketing it before motioning Dobby to watch over the babe. He would read it once he was alone. He turned back to Ron and Hermione, noting that they were still staring in the direction Ginny had gone, shock clearly evident on their faces. Harry walked over and placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. Ron turned to him, a stricken look on his face.

"Harry, I don't understand. Why would Ginny, of all people, try to hex a child? I can't…I don't…" he trailed off in confusion and sorrow.

Harry pat Ron on the back and turned to look towards the kitchen as well. "I don't know Ron, I have no idea what is going on but I can't marry the person she is right now, not knowing she would willingly do something like this," he said, almost in a whisper. "I'm so sorry Ron. I can't imagine a life with someone who would do that without even a moment's thought. It's just a baby and she was going to hex it!"

Ron grabbed Harry, making him look at him. "Harry, of course you can't marry her. Did you think I would be upset about this? I'm furious with Ginny, and I'm astounded that anyone I know would do something like that, but I _do not_ blame _you_. I just…I don't know what to do Harry. Everything in me says that she needs to be arrested for this, everyone knows that children are sacred and to be protected at all costs. No normal witch or wizard raises a wand anywhere near a child! We have so few being born lately with the way things have been in the last few years. But I…she's my sister, Harry. What do I do? I don't know what to do!" he said to Harry.

Harry embraced Ron, patting him on the back. Hermione watched with tears in her eyes, feeling for Ron and what he was going through, but also able to understand that Harry had a right to be extremely angry at the moment. She was glad that Ron hadn't tried to convince Harry to just forget it. She knew that Harry would have broken ties with Ron immediately if he had done that.

Hermione stepped up to the men, placing a hand on both of their backs and rubbing soothingly. "We need to call your Mum and Dad, Ron," she said softly. "We need to know what they want to do about Ginny. I can't imagine just calling the Aurors to arrest her without speaking to the family about this first. However, Ginny needs to be held accountable in some way. She needs to learn that she can't just act without thinking and always get away with it. This is the worst she has done while in a temper, but if she is not taught to get control of it, she may do much worse one day. With everything that has been going on the last few years, and then the wedding preparations, she may have just snapped. But if that's the case, she may need some professional help to get over her anger issues."

Ron and Harry pulled apart, wiping at their eyes. Ron took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, pushing back his own emotions for the moment and focusing on what needed to be done now. "Right, I'll go call the family, Harry you go stay with the baby and send Dobby to keep an eye on Ginny. Make sure he stops her from coming back in here. He can ward off this room to keep her out for now, and ward the house to stop her from leaving until we have made a decision on how to move forward. We will make this decision as a family," he finished firmly.

Harry stared at Ron in amazement at how quickly he pulled himself together. He smiled at Ron fondly. "You're going to be a great Auror Ron," he said finally, as he turned to go back to the child. Ron's newfound maturity suited him well. He had a feeling something big had happened between his two best friends while they were away. He also knew that they would tell him when they were ready.

Ron flushed and turned to look at Hermione. She was looking at him with such pride and love that he felt himself tear up again. "Stay with me while I do this?" he pleaded.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," she said as she closed the distance between them and kissed him softly, lovingly. She then took his hand and led him into the room, closing the door behind them. She heard Harry giving Dobby his instructions and Dobby popped away to do his master's bidding.

Ron led the way to the fireplace and threw in some floo powder, calling out "The Burrow" as he did so. Once the flame had flashed to green, he called out, "Mum? Dad?"

He heard his Mum call out that she was coming. After a moment his mother's face appeared in the floo. "What's the matter Ron? It's not like you to floo call when you're due back shortly anyway."

Ron took a deep breath and set his jaw. "Mum, you and Dad need to come through. It's really important. Can you come through now?" he asked. Molly looked intently at her son's face, noting how serious he was. She realised this must be very important indeed for Ron to look so stern.

"OK, Ron. We'll be there in a minute," she said, as she turned and called for Arthur to come to the floo.

Ron cut the connection and a few minutes later it flared green again and Molly and Arthur stepped out. They looked at Ron and Hermione, noticing that both looked like they had been crying recently. Her heart started to pound in fear, she was panicking that something had happened to Harry or Ginny. Then she heard Harry whispering from the other end of the room and turned towards him. She stopped and stared in shock at the sight of Harry with a baby in his arms.

"Harry?" she queried.

Harry looked up and noticed Molly and Arthur for the first time. He was still in shock at all that had happened in the past few minutes. His eyes were watery and he looked at her pleadingly. Now Molly was really starting to worry.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on before I panic myself into an early grave?" Molly asked urgently.

Ron led Molly and Arthur over to the lounge near Harry and the baby. He haltingly began to explain what had happened, from Harry finding the baby to Ginny walking away after trying to hex them both. Molly and Arthur gasped several times during the telling, and when the tale was done, they both turned to Harry and the child. Molly moved to sit next to Harry, peering at the baby as soon as she was close enough. Then she turned to Harry and gently grabbed his chin, turning his face towards her and making him look in her eyes.

"Harry, you really don't know who this child could belong to? I don't ask because I don't believe you. I ask because I want to hear it from you, so that I know you mean it. I know you would never lie about something like this, since I know how important family is to you and how much you have wanted your own," Molly said kindly.

Harry looked Molly in the eyes and said, "I swear Molly, I never slept with anyone in my life. I was waiting for Ginny, for us to start our life together. This child is not mine," he stated confidently and forcefully, "but I will protect it with everything I have."

Molly looked at him for a moment longer, then nodded once firmly. Without turning away from Harry, she said, "Alright then, that's all I needed to know. I think we need to decide what to do from here. Have you called the Aurors yet?" she asked, almost timidly, suddenly afraid to hear the answer. She couldn't believe her Ginny would do something like this. To hex a baby! What was she thinking? She knew Ginny had a temper, but she had always been able to handle it appropriately, contextually speaking.

Harry shook his head. "I couldn't Molly. We needed to discuss this with you both before deciding how to proceed. I was also a bit afraid that if I saw her right now I wouldn't be able to control myself. I didn't want to hurt her, well maybe a little bit, but not really. I just couldn't deal with it."

Molly looked at Arthur, and he looked back at her. They appeared to be having a silent conversation, and the others watched and waited for them to make a decision.

Arthur finally looked away from Molly and turned to Harry. "Harry," he said haltingly, "We think you should call the Aurors. I'm not sure what's going on with Ginny, but this needs to be addressed. It can't just be swept aside. I know you understand how hard this is for us, she's our child, our baby girl, but this is not the child we raised. Our Ginny loved children and would never have taken such an action before. I don't know if it was the war that changed her, or if it goes back further than that. Maybe the Wizengamot can ensure that she gets help," he finished with a note of hope and sadness lingering in his voice.

Harry looked at his surrogate parents with sadness. "I will petition for mandatory sessions with a Mind Healer as part of her sentence, maybe see if they can sentence her to St Mungo's instead of Azkaban. I know it's better there with the Goblins employed as guards and the dementors gone, but it's still not a place I want to see Ginny in. Hopefully they will take my recommendations into account. I haven't asked for anything for my own sake so far, but for this I will use my name to make sure she gets what she needs to get better. I'm hoping the Ginny we all knew is just a bit lost, not gone altogether."


	3. Chapter 3 - Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi all, back again with another chapter. I just have to say you guys have blown me away with the feedback I've received so far. I never expected so many favs/follows or reviews so quickly after posting what is only my second story ever. I truly appreciate it and keep 'em coming** **Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Harry sat on the sofa, surrounded by his family, waiting for the Aurors to arrive. He could hear Hermione and Ron talking quietly on the other sofa across the way, Molly still sat beside him with Arthur on the armchair beside her. He couldn't seem to drag his eyes away from the child in his arms. This child looked so much like him it was uncanny, although he had no reasonable explanation for it, given the fact that he had never even had sex yet.

Harry pondered over how he had never really given much thought to sex, except in some vague idea of 'after he got married'. Even then, it wasn't something he was dying to do, like so many of his classmates. They all seemed to speak about sex as if it was the be all and end all of life, but Harry had never understood what the big deal was. He knew Ginny had wanted to have sex for a while now, but he had stood firm on waiting until after the wedding. If he was to be honest though, the idea of having sex with Ginny did not exactly fill him with longing. He wondered if there was something wrong with him, or if it was merely that, instinctively, he knew that Ginny was not "the one". He supposed he would find out one day, but now was not the time and he was in no hurry.

He heard someone clear their throat gently and he looked up, realising that at some point while he was lost in thought, the Aurors had arrived. Hermione must have answered the door and led them in. He noticed that Kingsley had come with them, although he was sure that the man was busy with being the newly elected Minister of Magic. Although Kingsley had not been sure he wanted the post full time, the vote had been unanimous among the public to keep him in office once the temporary position was over. After Kingsley got over his disappointment that Harry wouldn't be joining them at the Ministry Auror Corps, he returned to the jovial man that had befriended Harry during the times he was guarding Privet Drive.

Harry quickly stood, still clutching the child to his chest. "Kingsley," he greeted warmly, "thank you for coming. I apologise for bothering you all with this."

Kingsley came over and clasped Harry's shoulder in greeting. "Harry please, I will always come if you need me, you should know this," he said, gently chiding. Everyone listening could tell that it was a conversation that they had had more than once. "The Auror office knows to let me know when anything comes in that concerns you. I only know the bare basics Harry, so I'll need you to fill me in. Where did the child come from, and who is it that has tried to harm it?"

Harry looked back down at the baby, realising that he was still gently rocking. The babe hadn't made a murmur since Harry had picked it up, and he felt a strange kind of pride that it obviously felt safe with him. As Kingsley finished speaking the baby's eyes opened, blinking sleepily up at the people around it. He heard Kingsley gasp and snapped his gaze to him quickly, shaking his head in denial before he even began to speak.

"The child is not mine King, I swear. I found it in a basket on the doorstep, Ginny went a bit nuts, believing I had strayed and sired an illegitimate child with someone else while we were separated. I'm quite willing to swear on my magic that it's not mine, although I want to apply to adopt the child as soon as possible. You know my history, my friend, and you must be aware of why this child's arrival would bring up memories for me," he said earnestly.

Kingsley threw an arm around Harry's shoulders, hugging him to his side briefly in reassurance. "Harry, I know. I'm well aware of your past and I can see that you feel deeply about this, even in such a short time. Why don't we all sit and you can give us the full story of how this all came to be," he said as he guided Harry back to the sofa. Molly moved over to give Kingsley room to sit beside Harry, knowing that Harry would need Kingsley's calm presence to get through this one more time.

"Harry, let me introduce these two fine men. This is Auror Whitcombe," he indicated a stern-looking older gentleman, "and Auror Chelsea-Blythe," he said, indicating the younger man beside him. "They are two of my finest and have been with us for quite some time. You can count on their discretion in this matter. Although we all know that this will leak at some point, they will do their best to keep it under wraps until we get to the trial. At that point, it will become public knowledge and nothing we can do will stop it. We will work to minimise the impact on you all though," he finished, looking at the Weasleys and Hermione in turn. They all nodded to him gratefully.

Harry took a deep breath and launched into the telling one more time. When he got to the part that involved Ginny trying to hex him and the child, Kingsley gave a sharp gasp and his jaw dropped. Harry thought idly that, if the circumstances weren't so grave, he would have laughed to see his unflappable friend so unhinged.

Harry wrapped up the tale, then sat waiting for one of the officials to speak. Both of the Aurors seemed to be waiting to see if Kingsley would take charge or leave it to them. Kingsley looked at Auror Whitcombe and shook his head. "I am merely here to offer my support to a comrade, not in my official capacity," he said softly. "Please, do what you would normally do in any other case. I'm not here to interfere with your investigation."

Auror Whitcombe stood and walked over to Harry, who clutched the child closer, as if afraid the man would try to take it from him. The man hesitated seeing this, then shook his head slowly as he lowered himself to perch on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "You don't need to worry sir," he said in a smooth baritone. "Wizarding children and precious and we will always protect them to the best of our ability. Since there have been so many lost in recent years, we tend to take that duty rather seriously. Unfortunately, this also means that your…well, young Ms Weasley may be facing a much harsher sentence than you might have originally hoped for. The Wizengamot will judge her rather harshly on this, I'm afraid."

Harry looked at the man and worried that Ginny might end up in Azkaban rather than St Mungo's and the counselling sessions he believed she needed. He sighed, then asked softly, "If I made a request for leniency, as in Ginny being remanded to St Mungo's with mandatory sessions with a mind healer, would the Wizengamot take that into consideration?"

Auror Whitcombe looked over at his partner, who shrugged then said, "It's possible Mr Potter. Being who you are will give you a certain amount of sway over them, but it is seen as a serious offence to wilfully attempt to harm a child, especially now with so many of the muggleborn and raised being killed in the war. We can only make the request and hope," he said.

"Please, call me Harry. Mr Potter makes me feel like I'm back in school," Harry said. "I would like to make a formal request for leniency then, could you please add that to my statement and then I will sign off on it?" he asked wearily.

"Of course Mr…Harry," the Auror said. "I have it here and hade added that to the end as requested. If you would, please sign on the line at the bottom and date next to that, and we will retrieve Ms Weasley and head back to the Ministry."

Harry took the quill the young Auror handed him and signed the statement where indicated. Hermione then gestured for the Aurors to follow her and led them down the hallway to the door that Dobby was still guarding. As Dobby stood aside and opened the door for Hermione and the Aurors, they all suddenly heard shrieking coming from the interior, realising at that point that Dobby must have placed a silencing spell on the room. Hermione patted the little elf on the shoulder as they stayed out of the way and let the Aurors enter the room. The shrieking stopped as soon as they entered.

"Ms Weasley, you are to come with us immediately," Auror Chelsea-Blythe said firmly. "You are being arrested for allegedly attempting to curse a child and Mr Harry James Potter."

Ginny blanched, then straightened her stance. She raised her head high and scoffed at them. "Please, we all know Harry isn't going to press charges against me. I'm to marry him tomorrow, do you really think that Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, will press charges against his wife?" she asked scornfully.

Hermione spoke up from the doorway. "Ginny, Harry has already called off the wedding. He could not possibly marry a woman who would attempt to hurt a child. You know what he went through as a child, how could he do any less?" she questioned gently, trying to make Ginny see sense.

Ginny looked at Hermione, incredulous. "To hear Harry tell it, this child isn't even his!" she yelled. "Why would he even care? It's not like he would be allowed to keep and raise it anyway, so what's the point?" she asked harshly.

The Aurors couldn't keep the astonishment off their faces. "Ms Weasley, are you even conscious of the fact that you nearly hexed a baby? Did it even enter your head that this baby, whatever you may have believed about its origins at the time, is just a baby? Defenceless and completely reliant on those around it to protect it?" Auror Whitcombe asked in amazement.

At this, Ginny merely rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath in exasperation. "Hermione, go get Harry and tell him to get rid of these jokers so we can finish what we need to for tomorrow."

As Hermione and the Aurors simply stared at Ginny, unable to believe what had come out of her mouth, Ginny stamped her foot angrily and said, "Wake up, Hermione. I want Harry here now and I want these people out of _my_ house! Move it!"

This seemed to wake them all up and the Aurors looked at each other. Auror Whitcombe walked over to Ginny and moved behind her, snapping on magic-dampening cuffs, while Auror Chelsea-Blythe read Ginny her rights.

"What the hell?" Ginny cried in outrage. "Are you seriously going to let them do this to me? Whose side are you on anyway?" she demanded, voice hard with derision. "You really think my brother will still want to marry you if you let Aurors arrest his sister?" she finished, triumph clear in her voice.

"Ginny, I love your brother, just as I love Harry. I am proud of both of them, but I love them as my dearest friends and brothers in all but blood. Ron and I would never have made a good match and we decided that for sure during our trip to Australia. We held off on saying anything as we wanted to wait until the wedding was done, but you need to know. I will always have a special bond with Ron, likely more so than with Harry, but we will not be staying together. Regardless, Ron supports Harry in this, as do your parents. They are in the sitting room with Harry now, comforting him and lending him their support," Hermione said sternly.

Ginny just stared at Hermione, shock on her face as she processed what she had heard. First Ron and Hermione were not going to be getting married, and second that Ron and her Mum and Dad were comforting _Harry_?! This was her family, they should be standing here between her and the rest of these clowns, defending her and stopping this travesty. As she thought all of this, Ginny started to get angrier and angrier. How dare they side with Harry over her? She was their child, their only daughter, there was no way Hermione was right about this.

The Aurors took advantage of her stunned state and led her out of the room to the hallway. Hermione turned in the opposite direction, towards the kitchens, leaving the family to deal with Ginny's exit while she went to get Dobby to make up a tea tray for them all.

As the trio neared the front entryway, Ginny saw her parents standing with Kingsley and Ron flanking them. Her Mum and Dad were both watery-eyed and looking at her with great disappointment on their faces. She was well able to recognise _that_ particular look, having seen it aimed at her brothers often enough. However, she had never seen it aimed at her before. She had to look away, surprised at how much that look hurt. She felt the knowledge that she could expect no help from her own family pierce her heart. After taking a moment to dwell on that feeling, she felt it begin to fade as the anger started to slowly build again. She looked away from them, keeping her gaze straight ahead as she was marched past them, refusing to meet their gaze again.

"Ginny," she heard her mother call softly, placing a hand on her arm. "Please Ginny, we just want you to…."

Ginny broke in before she could get any further, roughly shaking off the gentle touch. "What _Mother_?" she said sarcastically, sneering down her nose at her. "What exactly did you hope to accomplish with this? Going to teach me a lesson before coming to my rescue?" she said waspishly.

Her father stepped between her and her mother, into her line of sight. Meeting her eyes he said gently, "No Ginny, we won't be coming to 'rescue' you. You will need to face up to the fact that you committed a terrible act. You tried to hurt a baby, one that was innocent of any wrongdoing, and you still don't seem to feel any remorse for that. We are hoping that you will get the help you need, to learn to overcome your temper and find another way to deal with things that you don't like. I know that right now you'll find this hard to believe, but we really are doing this for your own good."

Ginny simply stared at him, expressionless, before she turned away from them all again and let the Aurors lead her out the front door. A moment later the remaining Weasleys and Kingsley heard the familiar whip-like crack of apparition, signalling that they had gone.

Molly seemed to sag into Arthur, as he put a strong arm around her and led her back to the sitting room. Harry and Kingsley looked up as they re-entered. Harry's face was awash with guilt. Despite the Weasleys supporting his actions, he felt like he had broken their family apart, a family that he loved with all his heart, a family that had taken him in and loved him without a moment's hesitation.

Arthur saw the look Harry was sporting and simply said, "No, Harry. You have no reason to feel guilt. I've often felt like Ginny has become a mere shadow of the girl she used to be over the years, and truthfully I feel that she never quite got past what happened with Tom Riddle in her first year. I can't say if that was what caused her problems, but I feel that we should have addressed it at the time, instead of accepting her assurances that everything was fine and assuming she would be alright. It's never easy for a parent to admit that their little princess is not perfect. Nothing we can do now but see that she gets help. This time we will make sure that she is given treatment, if the courts allow it."

Harry swallowed with difficulty, still feeling like he should apologise. He pushed that away though, knowing that they didn't want to hear it right now.

Molly came back over and sat beside him, looking down at the child again. She took a deep breath and changed the subject. "So, have you worked out what this little one is yet?" she asked with an attempt at lightening the mood a bit.

Harry chuffed lightly, shaking his head as he returned his gaze to the child. "Yes, we found out the hard way while changing him. I have a son, and let's just say that he has incredible aim for one so young," he finished ruefully. "He might end up a beater rather than a seeker," he said laughing.

Everyone gave a small laugh as they watched Harry and the child. Kingsley gave Harry's shoulders another squeeze and asked, "So, what are you going to name him, once the adoption goes through Harry?"

"Oh! I forgot in all the chaos. There was a note that was pinned to his blanket. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Maybe that will tell me his name and why he was brought here to me." He looked at Molly, asking softly "Would you mind holding him for me while I check out the note?"

Molly gave him a tremulous smile, holding out her arms for him to transfer the baby to her. She cuddled him close once she had him settled. The baby's eyes locked onto her own and she felt herself drowning in the child's gaze. Something about it seemed timeless, drawing her in and holding her attention entirely. She smiled at the babe, then turned to see Arthur sitting on the arm of the sofa next to her, gazing down with the same rapt expression on his face.

Harry watched them for a moment, a soft smile on his face when he realised he wasn't the only one who found the child's gaze compelling, before turning his attention to the note he had taken out of his pocket. Hermione chose that moment to return with a tray laden with a tea setting and some of Winky's delicious biscuits. She laid the tray on the coffee table in front of the sofa and sat on the armchair to the left of Harry and Kingsley. Harry smiled at her before turning his attention to the letter.

 _Mr Harry James Potter_

 _Although we would like nothing more than to raise our child to become the best he can be, there are reasons that this will not be possible. So, we searched and found the person most likely to raise him with the same values and morality that we would have chosen to._

 _We will not tell you his name or his history. All we ask is that you tell him he is adopted from an early age and ensure that he has your support if he ever wishes to find out about his heritage. When the time is right, clues will appear to guide him in the right direction if that is the path he chooses. If he opts not to search out his heritage, those clues will not appear to him and he will be left in peace._

 _We know you are a good man, and no, not because you are "The Saviour" of your world. We have seen by your actions that you are a brave and virtuous man, as well as a noble warrior. You will be the perfect person to instil the same virtues in our son._

 _Our son has very strong magic within him. Please teach our son to use his magic wisely, ensure that he knows right from wrong and help him choose the light path while growing up. We would wish him nothing more than a loving environment to grow up in. We would like for him to be brought up with a sense of purpose and the strength to make the right choices when he sets out on his own future path. Our son_ _ **will**_ _be very powerful once he comes of age and will need to have a firm grasp of the possible consequences of his actions, so that he will always make the right choices in how he uses his power._

 _Most of all, please love him as you would your own child. He is an innocent and we wish for him to grow with the knowledge that he is valued and loved for himself, not for where he might have come from or who he might be related to. We realise that this might be the hardest request to accomplish, given your status in your world, however you have managed to stay well-grounded, and it is our hope that you can do the same for our son._

 _When he is old enough, tell him that he was loved, very much, by his parents. Tell him that he will always be welcomed should he wish to discover where he was from and choose to return to his home. He will know when the time is right and none will blame him should he decide to remain with you instead._

 _Thank you, and we wish you much joy in the coming years. Love each other and be well. When he is old enough, please tell our son that we did not wish to leave him, but that we wanted him to have a better life and the only way for that to happen was if he was raised away from us. We will always keep him close to our heart._


	4. Chapter 4 - Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi all, back again with another chapter. I have to say again a huge thank you for all the feedback I've received so far. I truly appreciate it and hope you enjoy the next chapter. By the way, I have made some minor changes/edits in the first couple of chapters. You don't really have to go back and read them again, but thought I should give a heads up just in case!**

 **A/N2: Also, I should probably mention that this is AU. I had thought this was obvious due to the specifically non-canon nature of any Cross-over fic, however I recently had someone point out to me that Dobby is dead so I clearly made a mistake. I explained that any fic of mine would always have Dobby alive, regardless of canon, since I still tend to cry more over Dobby's death than I do over any other character that died in the series, with the exception of Severus Snape. To answer another question I had, I'm fairly sure that Dobby will be the only 'resurrected' character in this fic. So far, I have no plans to bring back any of the others that died in the war or the final battle.**

Chapter 3

Harry looked up from reading the note this obviously loved child's parents had left for him to find. His need to save people kicked in and had him wondering if the parents were in some sort of trouble, if they needed help that he could provide. He looked back down at the boy in Molly's arms as he gurgled up at him, a soft look coming over his features immediately as he locked green eyes to green eyes with the child. No, this **_is_** the help that the parents had asked of him. This is what they specifically needed him to do for them, to ensure their child's safety and well-being. He would raise this child to be completely aware of how much he is loved, and exactly how much he was loved before he came to Harry.

He looked back up and met the gaze of the people around him. Everyone looked back at him fondly, as he reached out and gently took the baby back from Molly, cradling the little boy close.

Harry smiled at each of them in turn, then said, "He was obviously loved and wanted, despite what the circumstances looked like for our young one when he first got here. You can feel his parents' reluctance to part from him in every word of that note. I want to make sure that he is raised per their wishes. Kingsley, will you help me get the adoption pushed through? And by that I mean, I want to blood adopt him, not just do the paperwork. This child needs me, and I want to be there for him," he finished firmly.

Kingsley smiled at his young friend. "Harry, we all knew you wouldn't be parted from him the moment we saw you holding him. Of course I will help you. You have only ever needed to ask," he said as he placed a strong hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing lightly for a moment.

Harry smiled again at Kingsley's almost predictable response. He had known that he would have his support if needed, but he really did hate to ask. Kingsley sighed as he stood, preparing to head back to the Ministry. "Come see me tomorrow morning Harry, I should have most of the paperwork ready for you to sign by then, and I'll have the potion ready so we can do the blood adoption straight away."

With that, Kingsley shook hands with the men in the room, and received grateful hugs from the women. He shook his head with a chuckle, turning to the front door to leave. "By the way, Harry," he said over his shoulder, "you really should get the floo hooked up in here. It's a pain having to go past your wards to apparate!"

Harry's laughter followed him out the door, cutting off once he closed the door. He straightened his shoulders and strode for the ward border, then apparated back to the Ministry. He had a lot to get done if he was going to have everything ready for Harry tomorrow morning.

Harry turned to the others left in the room with him after Kingsley left, finding them all looking at him with varying degrees of expectation. He startled for a moment, wondering if they had asked him something that he had missed. He mentally reviewed the last few minutes and couldn't think of anything. "OK, I give up. Did you ask me something?" he said, smiling wryly at them all.

Molly laugher and said, "No Harry, we're just wondering if you have any idea of what this little one's name is going to be. We can't just keep calling him 'the baby'!"

Harry stopped and looked back down at the child before looking back at Molly. "I don't know. I mean, I have an idea, since I had always wanted to use certain names for my children in the future, but I'm not sure if the name I chose for a boy would work for this little guy. I wanted to stay away from close family names, I honestly don't need the daily reminder that the people he's named after are gone and won't ever come back. However, I did want to honour the family traditions as well. So I always thought that Lachlan Orion Hadrian Potter would be a good name. What do you think? I mean, it's a big name for such a little guy, you know?" he asked uncertainly.

Hermione gave a little squeal and said, "Harry, I love it. It's perfect and I think he'll grow into the name. It has the added advantage of not announcing his entire heritage to everyone the moment he's introduced!" She bounced in place a little in her enthusiasm. Ron quickly placed an arm around her shoulders, stopping her from bouncing off the sofa altogether. Hermione just gave him a sheepish grin and looked back at Harry.

The others all chimed in, agreeing with Hermione's assessment of the name. It seemed they had a consensus. "Hello my little Lachlan, I'm going to be your Daddy now. I'll take such good care of you and you'll have so much family around you that you will never feel alone," he said, smiling down at baby Lachlan.

Just then Dobby popped into the room, startling everyone momentarily. Harry rolled his eyes at himself. You'd think he'd be used to it by now, but no. Every time Dobby popped in he still reflexively jumped. "Dobby is sorry to disturb the great Harry Potter Sir, but he has a bottle ready for the babe. Would you like me to feed him while you go and see the nursery that Dobby has made ready for him?" he asked.

Harry smiled down at his little friend. "Thank you Dobby, you always know what I need, sometimes before I even know I need it," he said fondly. "As much as I'm dying to see what you have done for the nursery, I think this first time I would like to feed him myself. Dobby, I would like to introduce you to Lachlan Orion Hadrian Potter, the newest member of our family. Kingsley will be arranging for the adoption to go through as quickly as possible."

Dobby hopped up and down, cackling with glee. "Dobby will take such good care of the littlest Master. And Winky will be so happy to have a little one around," he said happily.

Everyone laughed at Dobby's very obvious joy. Dobby handed the bottle to Harry and he placed the teat at Lachlan's mouth. The little one must have been hungry since he latched on and started sucking strongly. Harry chuckled, "I can see your appetite takes after your Uncle Ron!"

Ron huffed and said, rather indignantly, "Oy! I'll have you know that I haven't eaten for at least a whole hour now, and I haven't even complained about it yet!"

"Yes, well, there has been rather a lot going on, could just be the circumstances. I'll wait to see if it's permanent before I get all excited," Harry managed to get out around his laughter.

Lachlan soon finished his bottle, and Harry (with a little instruction from Molly) managed to burp him and get him changed again. Harry held Lachlan close as he stood and faced the others again. "So, ready to see what craziness Dobby has come up with for Lachlan's nursery room? To be completely honest, I'm a little scared. Dobby is wonderful, but he does tend to get carried away at times!"

Everyone else stood and followed Harry out of the room, up the stairs and to the closed door next to Harry's master bedroom. Dobby was waiting for them there, so they deduced that this was likely the room he had done up for Lachlan.

Dobby swung the door open once the group reached him, remaining in the doorway wringing his hands as he waited for his Master's thoughts.

Everyone stopped and stared at the room, amazed at what Dobby had managed in such a short time. He truly was a wonderful elf, for all his many quirks.

On the wall beside the door to the room, there was the beginning of a mural that stretched around to behind the crib on the opposite wall, 3 stunning natural scenes that made the room look truly enchanted. The mural began with a forest scene on the wall where the door was, although this was a far cry from the forests they had been in recently. This forest was beautiful, light and airy, sunbeams breaking through the leafy canopy to dance upon the ground. In between the trees and bushes, one could see various animals moving around, occasionally coming into view, highlighted by a sunbeam, only to disappear into the forest again.

At one spot, Harry saw a doe and a stag, accompanied by a tiny little fawn with big green eyes that perfectly matched the doe's, move into the clearing at the front of the mural. They stood there for a moment looking around then the adult deer herded the fawn back into the forest with them, surrounded protectively by the two bigger deer.

Harry felt a little choked up seeing that, and looking around at the others, he realised that they were equally affected by the scene. He quickly turned his attention to the next wall of the mural.

This one was of Hogwarts, showing the castle and grounds, and the beginning of the Forbidden Forest in the bottom corner. Looking more intently, Harry could make out tiny Quidditch figures zooming around on the pitch. After a moment he realised he was seeing Gryffindor and Slytherin uniforms on the players. He smiled seeing that, both sides of him represented in that one mural. Plus, Slytherin really were the only real challenge Gryffindor had in Quidditch. He turned his head a bit and noticed a centaur peeking from the forest edge. It looked remarkably like Firenze.

Harry moved his gaze to the last scene, this one on the wall behind and around the crib. This mural showed a gorgeous fairy ring, buzzing with all types of fairies, big and small. There were the mythical High Elves milling about in between copses of trees that surrounded the small clearing that housed the fairy ring, their skin glimmering with a slightly blue sheen. This mural was light and colour and joy. Harry couldn't help but smile when he looked upon it.

Turning his attention to the very last wall, this one unpainted, he found another door, a bookcase, dresser and change table. The furniture in the room was all done in gorgeous redwood, the accent colours picking up the greens, golds and various other colours from the surrounding murals. The rocking chair sat beside the crib in the corner was the same redwood, with lush deep green cushioning. There was a floor lamp beside the rocking chair, decked out with an amazing stained glass rendition of the fairy scene. When lit, the lamp shade cast amazing reflections of colours over the whole room, even though it was lit by a single pillar candle.

Harry immediately got a bit worried about the idea of candles in a baby's room, the thought that it could be knocked over and possibly harm Lachlan had him tightening his arms fractionally. He turned to Dobby, the slightest of frowns on his face. Dobby immediately rushed in, "Dobby has charmed the lamp to be unmovable. Adults can pick it up and move it around the room, but it won't be accidentally knocked over either by adults or little ones. Dobby would never allow anything to hurt the little Master," he said, still wringing his hands.

Harry rushed to reassure Dobby. "Hey Dobby, chill, I have faith in you. I knew you would have taken precautions and was only going to ask about what they were. Now you have answered my question and I have no need to worry. Dobby, you have truly outdone yourself in here. I feel so much love and joy in this room, I know Lachlan will be happy growing up in here. Thank you, my friend, you truly are a marvel," Harry finished with a hug for his little elf friend.

Dobby immediately teared up and hugged Harry back just as strongly. Then he broke away and began flitting around the room. He pointed out the second door, which he told them was a connecting door to Harry's room. He opened the dresser and showed them the modest amount of clothes in there already. Dobby explained he had popped over to Diagon Alley and picked up a few things that he knew Lachlan would need. He had left the bulk of the shopping to Harry for later though, knowing that Harry would want to do that for his new son.

There were already a couple of children's books on the book shelf, and the change table was fully stocked with everything that they would need, at least for the few days until Harry could go out and do a proper shop.

Harry once again hugged Dobby, assuring him that he was well-pleased with the room and the supplies Dobby had purchased. He had got Dobby set up with access to his vaults as soon as he brought him home with him, and Dobby had blanket permission to use whatever was needed in the care of the family.

Harry noticed that Lachlan had dropped off to sleep against his chest while they were looking around the room, so he moved over to the crib and laid him down, covering him with the soft blanket that had been with him in the basket. He was pleased that Dobby had thought to include that link to his birth parents in his new room.

Harry cast a monitoring charm on Lachlan to let them know when he woke and herded everyone back to the hallway. They all moved back down the stairs to the sitting room, taking their original seats again. Harry was quiet, lost in his thoughts about everything that would need to be done tomorrow and leading up to Ginny's trial.

Molly and Arthur looked at each other, silently questioning if they should leave the new father to get things organised or stay and offer their help. As one they both nodded and turned back to Harry. Arthur cleared his throat and Harry quickly looked at him. "Harry, I think Molly and I will head home. You need to take some time to process what has happened here and your new status as a father. And we will need to call a family meeting and let everyone know what is going on. The last thing we want is for this to leak and for them to hear it from someone else."

Harry quickly nodded, realising that there was still a lot to be done. After a round of hugs, Molly and Arthur were gone and Ron and Hermione came and sat on either side of Harry, each putting an arm around him. "What can we do to help, mate? Just point me in a direction and I'm ready to go," Ron said seriously.

Harry looked at Ron gratefully, "I don't know Ron, there's so much to think about. Where do I start? I have to get ready for the meeting with Kingsley tomorrow morning. What do I even need for that? I need to go see Gringotts and setup a trust vault for Lachlan, and rewrite my will to include him. Oh blast, Griphook has been pressuring me about accepting the Black and Potter Lordships too, he'll want an answer when I go back next. I suppose I might as well go ahead and accept them, since I now have an heir. I was happy to just ignore it before until we were ready, but now I want Lachlan to know all aspects of our family," he said, feeling quote overwhelmed.

"Harry, why don't you take the opportunity to get Gringotts sorted out while Lachlan is asleep. Ron and I can stay here and help Dobby watch over Lachlan. I'll sort out a list of what will need to be done for tomorrow and the next few days as you both settle in to being a family. We can work on this a few days at a time for the moment, that will help to give you time to breathe. You can do this Harry. You will be the best father to this little guy, and we will always be around to help," Hermione said gently.

Harry hugged both of his friends to him for a moment and said, "Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you both." He released them, standing and calling for Dobby as he moved towards the front entryway. He told Dobby where he was headed, and let him know to come find him if anything came up while he was out. Harry apparated to Diagon Alley, striding determinedly for the doors of Gringotts, managing to get almost all the way before the surrounding public even thought of swarming him.

Harry went to the first available teller. "I'd like to speak to my account manager please," he asked pleasantly.

"Right away, My Potter," the goblin said. "He snapped his fingers and some paperwork appeared in front of him. "Your account manager is Griphook, I see. One moment," the goblin finished as he called an assistant to him. He murmured to the assistant for a moment, then turned back to Harry. "Please, my assistant will show you the way," he said, gesturing for Harry to follow the other goblin.

Harry followed down a long hallway to where Griphook's office was. The goblin knocked once on the door then opened it, waving Harry in before closing the door behind him.

Harry stopped in front of the desk at the head of the room, bowing to Griphook. "May your enemies tremble before your axe and your gold continue to multiply," he said formally.

Griphook bowed his head to Harry and returned the greeting, before gesturing for Harry to take a seat in front of him. "What can I help you with today Lord Potter-Black?" he asked.

Harry grimaced, realising that Griphook would never give up on trying to get him to accept his inheritances. Finally, he gave a little smirk, looking Griphook in the eye, and announced, "Griphook, I'm here to make your day. I will be accepting my Lordships and my inheritances today, as well as asking your assistance to setup a trust fund. I am adopting a child, a son, and want to see him provided for. I will also need to update my will to include the new estates and ensuring that my son will receive his due when the time comes."

Griphook aimed what looked to be a rather feral smile at Harry. Upon looking closer, Harry snorted inelegantly. He could also detect a hint of smugness in the goblin's grin. He shook his head at Griphook, "Don't think you wore me down. It was the reality of becoming an instant father, and had nothing to do with your so-called powers of persuasion. Now is the right time to step up and consolidate my family's holdings and positions. That's all there is to it," he said, putting his nose in the air snootily before giving up and grinning wickedly back at Griphook.

Griphook gave a raspy chuckle. "Of course, My Lord, of course." Griphook cleared his throat as he looked down at his desk, fiddling with the quill in front of him. Once he felt he had himself back under control, he looked back at Harry. "Now, you mentioned a son? How and when did this come about?" he asked curiously.

Harry launched into the tale of the baby's arrival, the mess with Ginny, the upcoming adoption and Ginny's trial. Griphook looked rather amazed by the time he finally finished. "Well, I can help you with all of this, of course. One moment while I gather the necessary paperwork for both estates. As you know, the bequests to other people were all done at the original readings of the wills for both your parents and Lord Black. The only thing left is for you to sign off, accepting both inheritances."

Griphook opened a drawer on his left and snapped his fingers. Immediately a thick file levitated out of the drawer and onto the desk in front of him. He closed the drawer then opened the file, beginning to list the properties, money and items Griphook had been managing for him since the wills were read.

Griphook passed him the Potter and Black family rings, which he placed on his left index and middle finger respectively. All in all, it took over 3 hours for him to go through everything and provide Griphook with instructions on what to sell, what to keep and what was able to be put aside to be decided on later. As it turns out, Harry was rather more than quite well off now, had his choice of properties to holiday in if he wanted to, and had considerable investments turning a tidy monthly profit for him.

He was relieved that he would be able to remain a stay-at-home Dad during Lachlan's years before Hogwarts. Truth be told, he wouldn't ever have to work again if he chose not to. However, Harry knew it wasn't in his nature to remain stagnant, he would eventually find something that triggered his need to get back out there and do something useful. For now, he would stay with Lachlan, and concentrate on being the best Daddy he could be.

The trust vault was created and setup with a sum of 10,000g, topping up in August each year to that same amount. This would increase to 15,000g when Lachlan started at Hogwarts. Harry knew it was excessive, but he was having a hard time being reasonable about it. He wanted to make sure that Lachlan would always have what he needed.

Harry bid Griphook good day and made his way out of Gringotts, apparating away quickly once he got to the front steps. He landed in the entry way at his home, immediately going to the sitting room, expecting to see Ron and Hermione there. His expression turned puzzled once he looked in and realised no one was there. Harry called for Dobby, asking him, "Where are Ron and Hermione, Dobby? And is Lachlan still asleep or has he woken?"

Dobby hastened to reassure Harry. "Little Master is awake, Harry Potter Sir. Ron and Hermione are in the nursery with him, getting him changed and ready for dinner."

Harry thanked the elf and headed for the nursery. As he neared he could hear Ron and Hermione talking. He was about to push the door open wider when he caught something Ron said that made him stop to listen for a moment more.

"…..and we really do have to tell him Hermione. I feel awful keeping this from him, and there's no longer a wedding to worry about interfering with. He's my best mate Hermione, I just can't keep this from him anymore. When he comes back, I want us to tell him," Ron finished.

Harry pushed the door open, stepping into the room as he said, "Tell me what, Ron? What's going on?" Harry's eyes immediately gravitated to Lachlan while he waited for Ron's reply, just generally checking to make sure he was ok. Lachlan seemed quite content curled up on Hermione's shoulder, dozing, while she was gently moving the rocking chair in a steady rhythm.

Ron looked up at Harry, a little startled as he hadn't noticed him there. He then looked at Hermione. She smiled at him and gave a slight nod of her head, letting him know it was ok.

"Well, you know how I went with Hermione when she went to find her folks? 'Course you do, stupid question. So, we realised over the course of the trip that we're really not suited as a long-term match. It was a mutual decision, mate. We just didn't want to waste our time when we both could possibly miss out on meeting that one person that would be right for us. Know what I mean, Harry?" Ron said haltingly.

Harry looked stunned, then seemed to think for a bit, before he finally smiled at Ron. "Yeah, I can understand, mate. I promise, no problems from me. I'm happy if you're both happy. If this is what feels right to you, then it's best to do it now."

Harry continued into the room, giving Ron a quick back-slapping man-hug. He then leant down to where Hermione was, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. As he straightened up Hermione stopped him, lifting Lachlan for Harry to take. Harry instinctively grabbed Lachlan and snugged him on his own shoulder, his head settling in the crook of Harry's neck, little puffs of air warming Harry's skin. He reached a hand up and cupped the back of Lachlan's head, gently carding his fingers through the baby-soft black hair.

Harry couldn't wipe the smile of contentment off his face when he raised his gaze to find Ron and Hermione staring at him. He shrugged helplessly. "It all seems so natural. He just…fits, you know? He fits perfectly in my arms, his head fits perfectly in the crook of my neck. He just…fits," he said, still reeling at how perfectly content he felt, holding Lachlan, smelling that beautiful baby-scent.

Hermione smiled at him, her eyes suspiciously glassy. She nodded her head, "I can see that Harry. You look as if he has always been yours. He looks as if he belongs, right where he is. You make a lovely family Harry," she said softly.

Ron nodded, chiming in with his own to cents, "Harry mate, you're going to be an amazing father. And I'm going to be the best Uncle there is," he said proudly, puffing his chest out and making the other two friends laugh.

"Of that I have no doubts," Harry said seriously, knowing that these two would always play a big part in his life, even if it was not the way he originally thought they would. He had always assumed the two would get together, get married and give him lots of nieces and nephews to dote on until Ginny felt ready for them to have their own children. Oh well, things change and all they can do is go with it and make the best out of what comes.

* * *

After another cup of tea, Harry saw Ron and Hermione out. Hermione had, indeed, left him with a list of things he would need to take to his meeting with Kingsley tomorrow. It was a fairly short list. The basket, the blanket, the note, Harry was to wear and display his Lordship rings (this item having been added once Hermione noticed that he had accepted both Lordships). Harry headed to the kitchens, Lachlan still in his arms but now wide awake and seeming to be taking interest in his surroundings. He knew that babies this age couldn't see very far in front of them, so he made sure to get up close to things as he pointed them out. Lachlan seemed to be fascinated by everything. His head kept bobbing back down to Harry's shoulder occasionally when he got tired of holding it up, but at the next thing Harry stopped at, up would come his little head again, as if determined not to miss anything.

By the time Harry made it to the kitchen, his original destination, Lachlan was contentedly chewing on Harry's collar and gurgling away to himself. Harry couldn't help laughing at some of the sounds coming from the baby. He was most likely going to be quite the talker when he grew up.

"Oh, Master Harry Potter Sir, you brought the little Master! Oh, he's so beautiful, Master Harry Potter Sir! He really does look like you!" exclaimed Winky in a rush, jumping up to stand on the table in front of where Harry had sat himself while he talked to the elves. Dobby quickly popped in and joined Winky on the table.

Winky had improved so much now that she had a family to look after again. No more butterbeer, she took pride in her appearance once again, and she had refused, politely though still firmly, to be a free elf. Winky told Harry firmly that she needed to be part of a real family again. She missed having her own family to bond with and take care of. Harry had, of course, complied with the elf's wishes and bonded her to the Potter household, rather than himself personally. That way she could stay with the family as long as she lived and work for any living Potters while she was able.

Harry turned Lachlan around and sat him upright on his lap, leaning him back against his chest for support. Winky leaned in closer, running a gentle hand over Lachlan's hair. Harry sighed for a moment before addressing a topic he had been hoping to avoid.

"Winky, Dobby, I need you to do me a favour. Please, from now on, you need to call me just Harry. It's just that 'Master Harry Potter Sir' is quite a mouthful. Just Harry will be much faster, don't you think? And it would mean a lot to me," he said gently to them. "Also, I've taken on the Potter and Black Lordships now, there will be enough people calling me 'Sir' to last me a lifetime when I finally get around to making any kind of lengthy trip out in public. But here, at home, I just want to be Harry. OK?" he asked.

Winky and Dobby looked at each other and eventually nodded. Dobby spoke up for them both. "Yes, _Harry,_ we will do as you asks." With that, they both nodded once again at him and turned back to Lachlan, cooing at him and tickling gently under his chin. Lachlan chortled away, loving the attention.

Harry spent a quiet evening in the kitchen with the elves making dinner, then joining him to eat at Harry's insistence. He reminded them that he would no longer be getting married, and he didn't want it to be just him and Lachlan at every meal during Lachlan's childhood. They gave in gracefully, seeing again, how much it meant to him. They vowed there and then that they would do whatever was needed to keep Harry and Lachlan, their family, safe and happy.

 **A/N3: Quick note about the name chosen for baby Loki:  
**

Lachlan - meaning "Warlike. Land of Fjords (referring to the Vikings). From the land of lakes." Origin: Scottish  
Orion - tribute to the Black family using the constellation name, and a nod to Sirius, whose middle name was Orion.  
Hadrian - This is what I always hoped "Harry" was short for! Just a way of including Harry in the name without actually putting the name "Harry" in there :)

I felt it fit the story and background of said baby.


	5. Chapter 5 - Chapter 4

**A/N: Some reviewers have pointed out, rather forcefully in one case at least, that 'Hadrian' is in no way a longer form of Harry. Even to the point of leaving dictionary-style definitions of the name 'Hadrian' and listing the possible shortenings for that name, which do not include 'Harry'. If you read the 'A/N3' at the end of the last chapter, it clearly states** _ **"This is what I always hoped 'Harry' was short for! Just a way of including Harry in the name without actually putting the name 'Harry' in there."**_ **I never claimed it was the root of the name 'Harry'. I simply stated I had always wished that it was Harry's full name as I really like Hadrian a lot.**

 **A/N2: With regards to the name Harry chose for the baby, he states in the previous chapter that this was the name that he had always wanted to use for any son he had in future, so he had given it to his new son. It was pure coincidence that it resembles Loki's true name so closely. And it will remain Lachlan to Harry, although others may shorten it to Lachie, which here in Australia is pronounced "Lockie".**

 **A/N3: A reviewer asked why people were apparating if the floo was connected. The reason for this is that the floo is restricted to those already given access. Everyone else has to apparate in or out, unless Harry provides them with access to his floo.**

 **After we get through the initial stages of Ginny's trial and getting the little one settled into his new home, there will be time skips happening. I won't be giving his entire life story, as that would be epic the likes of which I was not intending when I began this story. I believe this story will take us up to Loki's graduation from Hogwarts, and possibly the beginnings of the clues he will receive to his original heritage. I intend a sequel to be released next to go through his search for his origins.**

 **Hope this clears things up. Now, on with the story!**

Chapter 4

Harry woke early the next morning to the heavenly smell of fresh-brewed tea wafting from his bedside table. He could hear movement from the room next door but no crying from Lachlan as yet. He sat himself up against the headboard and picked up the cup of tea, inhaling the steam before sipping gingerly. It was perfect, with just a touch of honey, just the way he liked it. _Dobby makes the most excellent tea,_ he thought to himself happily.

After taking his time drinking his tea, he got out of bed and went to the bathroom to perform his usual morning ritual. He loved this room too, it was very calming first thing in the morning, with a gorgeous white Italian marble with sapphire blue veins running through it. Everything in the bathroom was made of the same marble or accented with the same sapphire blue. The fixtures were silver and sparkled brilliantly in the morning light.

Walking out of the bathroom, running a towel over his still-wet hair, he headed for the door separating the nursery from his room. Opening it slowly, he watched Winky happily playing with Lachlan, who was lying on a plush blanket on the rich carpeted floor. Winky had placed a frame over Lachlan that had little figures dangling from it. The first figure was a little fairy, glowing a soft blue with fairy dust trailing behind it. The second was a globe that twinkled with a miniature model of the solar system. A third was of a Quidditch player, and a fourth was a happily bouncing miniature house elf that remarkably resembled Dobby.

As Harry moved closer, Lachlan caught sight of him and started to flail his arms and gurgle at him. Winky turned and smiled at Harry as he lowered himself to the floor beside her and Lachlan. He gently tickled Lachlan's tummy as he spoke to Winky.

"What time did he wake up this morning Winky?" Harry asked.

"Little Master only woke up a few minutes before you did Ma-Harry," Winky corrected herself. It would take a little while for her to feel comfortable with this, but Harry was her beloved Master, and she would do anything to make him happy, even if it went against what she had been trained to do. "Little Master Lachie is a very happy baby," she beamed at him.

Harry chuckled at hearing the nickname Winky had for his son, leaning in to place a kiss on Lachlan's forehead as he picked him up for a cuddle. Lachlan snuggled into Harry immediately, giving a sigh and cooing softly as he rubbed his cheek on Harry's shoulder, looking for all the world as if there was no place he would rather be. Winky gently patted Lachlan's back as Harry swayed with him. They sat there and enjoyed the peace for a few minutes, before Lachlan started to get more vocal. Winky offered to pop away to get him his bottle, but Harry told her they would be down to the kitchen shortly and he would feed Lachlan while he had his own breakfast.

Winky popped away to the kitchen and Harry got up, taking Lachlan into his own room with him. He laid the baby on his bed and put a pillow on each side of him, before moving to get his shoes on and attempt to tame his hair, finally giving up and putting the brush back on the dresser. As soon as Harry started to move away from the bed, Lachlan followed him with his eyes. When Harry moved out of his field of vision, he started to grizzle before quickly rolling over and searching for Harry again.

Harry saw this in the mirror and smiled brightly at Lachlan, hurrying back to pick him up. He lifted Lachlan high in the air and spun around quickly, making Lachlan squeal with glee. "Aren't you a clever boy? Look at you, rolling over. I didn't think you would be old enough for that. Hmm, I guess we'll have to add a visit to a Healer to our list of things to do. Have to get you checked out and see if we can work out how old you might be. I got the feeling from the note your parents left that you were well-loved and looked after, so I don't expect to find any major health problems that neglect or abuse might have caused, but it wouldn't hurt to check, just to be sure."

As Harry continued talking to Lachlan, he moved out of his room and made his way to the kitchen, seeing Dobby and Winky setting his breakfast and Lachlan's bottle on the table. Without prompting they both grabbed a plate of food as well and sat waiting for Harry to join them. Harry beamed at them proudly and they smiled happily back at him, thrilled to have made their Harry smile like that.

Harry sat in his seat sideways and pulled another chair closer, putting his legs up on it and laying Lachlan down on his lap, head towards his knees. As he let go of Lachlan he started to whinge a little bit, but Harry was quick to pick up his bottle and place it to his lips, laughing at how quickly he latched on. If nothing else, it seemed they wouldn't have any problems getting him to eat.

Harry kept his eyes on Lachlan as he addressed Winky and Dobby. "Is everything set for my meeting with Kingsley today? I realise that you are both likely on top of everything, I just want to make sure that I don't forget anything," Harry said.

Dobby nodded so hard his little ears flapped vigorously. "Yes Harry, I have your robes ready to wear, they is having your house crest on them as is proper. A bag is packed for little Master and sitting beside the floo for you to pick up as you leave. Winky has little Master's clothes ready too, they is on the change table in the nursery."

"Thank you Dobby, Winky. I don't know what I would do without you both," Harry said gratefully.

Winky bounced a little as she finished her bite of toast. "Little Master wills look so cute in the outfit I has chosen for him. Like a little mini-Harry," she said excitedly. Dobby giggled away to himself, almost as excited as Winky.

Harry laughed. "I can't wait to see it then," he said.

Once they finished breakfast and Harry had Lachlan burped and happily playing with Harry's fingers, Winky came to him and picked the baby up gently. "You best be getting ready Harry. I wills get little Master ready too," she said firmly, before popping away with his son.

Harry looked at Dobby with a grin on his face. "Well, I guess that means I need to get moving. I'm fairly sure I don't want Winky displeased with me," he said, as he left the kitchen accompanied by Dobby's giggles.

Once Harry had dressed in the robes that Dobby had left out for him, he took a moment to check his reflection in the mirror. Dobby had outdone himself with the robes. They were a lush black, with silver embroidery on the lapels and hems. Fitted and buttoned to the waist, then open and loose from there to knee-length. Silver buttons with his house crest of a wand crossed with a sword marched down his chest in double rows. From the very last button, a flattened silver chain ran from the left button, around his back and connected to the right button. Pressed black slacks and a white shirt were worn underneath, the ruffled cuffs of the shirt extending just past the cuffs of the outer robes. Cufflinks matching the buttons kept the sleeves of his robes closed at his wrists.

It was amusing to him that he never seemed to get used to seeing himself as a grown-up. Although he had always felt older than his years, he was so used to being protected by everyone and made to feel like a child, that he still expected to see his scrawny 14 or 15 year old self reflected back at him. He wondered idly if everyone went through this when they first left school and headed out to start their adult life. Shrugging, he moved to the nursery door and took a moment to enjoy the sight of his son.

Winky had, indeed, dressed Lachlan in matching robes, although the colours were reversed on the baby's outfit. His outer robes were white, with little black pants underneath with a white shirt. Winky had foregone the buttons and simply embroidered the detail of the crest in a double row of miniature house crests down to the baby's waist. Tiny black shoes adorned his feet and he had a soft white beanie on his head.

Harry gave Winky a grin, moving to take Lachlan from her. "Oh, you look so handsome, don't you Lachlan? You're going to have all the ladies eating out of your hands at the Ministry today!" he said. He blew a raspberry on Lachlan's cheek, making him squeal with laughter. Winky cackled away beside him. Harry leaned down and gave her a quick hug. "We'll head off now. We should be home by around lunchtime, hopefully in time for Lachlan to have a nap. He'll be so tired by the time we finish today. Oh well, at least he should sleep well tonight," he chuckled ruefully.

Winky bounced beside him as they walked downstairs and to the floo. He wouldn't risk apparating with Lachlan until he spoke to a Healer. He vaguely remembered Hermione mentioning once that babies were not able to be apparated until they were a certain age, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what that age was.

Harry couldn't help but be grateful now that Hermione and Ron had insisted he practice flooing. He couldn't imagine taking a baby through the floo if he was still stumbling out like he used to. Now he was able to gracefully step out of the floo and continue walking towards the checkpoint guard. After handing over his wand and identifying himself, he advised he had an appointment with the Minister. The guard goggled at him for a moment, but then seemed to collect himself. He handed Harry a visitor's badge and directed him to the elevators and the correct floor.

Harry walked into Kingsley's outer office, spying a young lady at the front desk. He approached and softly said, "Harry Potter here to see Minister Shacklebolt please."

The receptionist looked up, her eyes flicking from him to the baby in his arms, widening and flicking straight back to meet his own gaze. Harry smiled at her, as Lachlan gurgled and played with Harry's cufflinks. The woman cleared her throat. "Yes sir, Mr Potter, I will let him know you're here," she said, tapping what looked like a small speaker on her desk with her wand. "Mr Potter here to see you Minister," she announced clearly.

The door opened almost immediately, Kingsley coming towards him with his arm outstretched. Harry went to shake his hand, but Kinglsey laughed and boomed, "Not you, give me the child! I never got a chance to have a good look at him yesterday with everything that was going on. I want to see him."

Harry cracked up laughing as Lachlan was almost snatched out of his arms but Kingsley. Lachlan gave a little whimper of fright before Kingsley started smiling at him and rocking gently. "Oh, Harry. He's such a handsome little man! Look at you, all dressed up like Daddy," he crooned softly, smiling happily at the baby.

Lachlan appeared to study Kingsley quite seriously at first, then seemed to decide he was ok. Letting loose a grin of his own, Lachlan started vocalising in squeals and gurgles, sounding for all the world like he was holding up his end of a conversation. This started Kingsley laughing again as he raised his head to look at Harry, who was watching them both with a soft smile on his face. Kingsley thought to himself that Harry looked more content than he had ever seen him. He decided it was a good look for him.

Turning he headed back into his office. After a moment of standing there watching after him, Harry heard, "Are you coming in or what?" in Kingsley's deep, resounding voice.

Shaking his head as he chuckled, Harry moved into the office, taking a seat in the comfortable chair in front of the Minister's desk. Kingsley was walking around his office, pointing things out to the baby, Lachlan's hand tangle dup in the beads hanging around Kingsley's neck. Harry worried for a moment that he might break them, but figured Kingsley knew what he was about, having raised 3 of his own children. He was sure if Kingsley thought they might break he would have removed them or charmed them unbreakable by now.

Finally Kingsley stopped moving around and turned to face Harry, sitting behind his desk with Lachlan on his lap, braced against his chest. Lachlan began smacking his open hands on the desk, loving the sound it made. Kingsley chuckled and handed Lachlan a small ornament. After a moment, Harry realised it was a snow globe with a miniature Hogwarts inside. "Don't worry, I charmed it so he can't break it, and he can have fun banging it around while we talk," Kingsley laughed.

Harry smiled at his friend. "Thank you King. Am I going to get my child back at any point?" he asked wryly.

Kingsley smiled at him. "Maybe. It's been a while since we've had a little one in the house. The kids are all away at Hogwarts now; I can barely remember them as babies anymore. It might be time to speak to my wife about how empty the house feels these days. Although to be honest, I'm sure she's enjoying the peace and quiet for a bit. She's been the one to stay at home with them for the last few years, and it may take some convincing," Kingsley said.

Harry laughed, "If it helps, maybe you should bring her by one day, see if she can resist after playing with him for a while."

"Oh ho, Harry! That's quite sneaky for a Gryffindor," Kingsley said jovially.

"Well, I was almost a Slytherin," Harry reminded him. "Sometimes you have to embrace your other side to get what you need!"

Kingsley played with Lachlan for a few more minutes before sighing and looking back at Harry. "I guess we better get down to business then. The trial and what happens with Ginny now. We've set the trial date for 3 days from now. I knew you would want to have it as quickly as possible so that she's not sitting in a holding cell for weeks on end," he said gravely.

Harry gave a small crooked smile. "You know me well King. I know Ginny's temper got out of hand, but the girl I knew would never have done something like this. I want to get her some help King. I know she needs a professional, and I suspect she has for some time now. At least since first year, with all that happened with Tom Riddle and his diary. I honestly don't know how we didn't see it before now. I don't hate her, but I can't bring myself to forgive her for it either."

Harry gave a mighty sigh before continuing. "Having said that, I wanted to know if I can write a letter of recommendation for sentencing. Do you think the Wizengamot would take that into consideration?" he asked.

Kingsley looked at the young man before him. "I'm sure they would Harry. If only because it's you. I know you don't like the idea of using your name or your fame, but in this instance, I believe it would be best to do just that. Write the letter and give it to me and I'll make sure they get it. You need to make sure you sign it with your full title now that you have accepted your inheritances."

Harry looked at Kingsley seriously. "I know King. I'll make sure it's formal and clearly written. I don't want there to be any mistake in what it is I'm asking for."

Kingsley cocked his head at Harry. "What exactly will you be asking for Harry? If you don't mind me asking."

"Of course not," Harry said, waving a hand negligently. "You're my friend King, even if you're now the Minister. I want her to be sentenced to an undefined stay at St Mungo's, with mandatory anger management and mind healing sessions for the duration. She can be released when they feel she is ready and not a moment before. She needs to learn to speak up instead of hexing first and asking questions later. From what Ron says, she's always been that way, but lately she has been a bit quick off the mark when it comes to throwing out a bat bogey. It's become her 'signature' spell, for want of a better term. For all that it's likely considered benign by many, the idea of a baby suffering through something like that turns my stomach. I can only imagine how terrifying that would be for a little tyke that had no understanding of such things."

Kingsley nodded his head, agreeing with his young friend. "That sounds perfectly reasonable Harry, I don't see how the Wizengamot would have any hesitation about allowing such a sentence."

The Minister stood then, gently bouncing Lachlan who had been having so much fun with the little snow globe. He pried the globe out of Lachlan's hand and came around to pass him to Harry. "Why don't I walk you down to the Magical Adoption department? We can get you sorted and that will be one less thing to have to worry about. That is, if you've brought everything with you?" he asked.

Harry nodded his head while getting Lachlan settled comfortably. "Yes, I have it all shrunk in the bag, ready to go. Do you think it will be ok King? I know I'm single and very young. I worry that they might decide he would be better off with a couple, or even someone older," he said, gazing worriedly at Kingsley. "I can't lose him now. He's become precious to me."

"Honestly Harry, I don't think you have a thing to worry about. I'm happy to put a good word in for you, if needed, but I really don't think it will be. I believe you greatly underestimate just how grateful everyone is to you for offing that madman. I think they'd give you just about anything these days," Kingsley replied.

Harry puffed out a breath. "Heh, ok, let's do this," he said, straightening his back and picking up Lachlan's bag.

Kingsley opened the door and waved Harry through first. He turned to his receptionist as they came into the front part of the office. "Rebecca, I will be escorting Lord Potter-Black down to the Adoption department. Please let me know if anything urgent comes up, otherwise I will be back within the hour."

"Alright Minister," she said, still unable to take her eyes off Harry and Lachlan.

As they walked down the hall they drew many stares from passers-by. Harry hated it, but had got used to it by now. They made small talk as they travelled down to the relevant department. Once there, Kingsley ushered Harry through the door and followed him up to the counter. The young man at the counter looked up at their entrance and watched them make their way to him, all the while staring at Harry and Kinglsey with an awe-struck expression. Harry looked away uncomfortably, turning his gaze down to his son as he shifted him in his arms. Lachlan had fallen asleep on the walk down there and was quite happily drooling on Harry's shoulder. Harry absent-mindedly cast a _scourgify_ on his robes to get rid of the drool.

Kingsley stepped up to the counter, commanding the young man's attention. "We need to perform an adoption. Please get your manager for me," he said firmly.

The young man hurried to an office at the back of the room, knocking and entering when bidden. A few moments later an older gentleman came rushing out of the office, hurriedly donning outer robes as he went. He rounded the counter, giving a small bow to them both as he introduced himself. "Good morning Mr Potter, Minister. My name is Roger Brockman. How may I assist you today?"

Kingsley stepped back and gestured to Harry to begin. "Hello My Brockman. I am here to adopt this child. He was left on my doorstep with a note asking me to take care of him and I wish to ensure that he is legally mine in order to do so. Could you please help me with the legalities?" Harry asked.

Mr Brockman's jaw dropped as his gaze swept from Harry to Lachlan and back again. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "Of course, Mr Potter. Were you wanting to do a legal adoption only or a blood adoption as well?"

Harry looked at Kingsley then back at Mr Brockman. "I believe the blood adoption would be best. I want him to be my primary heir. I am not, nor do I plan to be, married and therefore do not know if I will ever have another child. In order to protect him and ensure he is legally entitled to inherit my holdings and lordships, I think the blood adoption will offer him the most protection."

Mr Brockman had been nodding his head along with Harry's speech, able to see the sense in his reasoning. "Of course, that would be the best option for his future. Perhaps we could move into my office to begin the proceedings?" he asked, gesturing for them to precede him.

Harry and Kingsley walked into the man's office, taking a seat in front of his desk. Mr Brockman sat behind his desk, opening a filing drawer and pulling out a sheaf of papers. He re-ordered them and them straightened them on the blotter in front of hm. "Now, could you perhaps explain in greater detail the little one's arrival in your care and what the note said?" he asked.

Harry withdrew the shrunken basket and the note from the bag he had dropped beside his chair, restoring them to their normal size and placing them on the side of the man's desk. He began to tell his tale, glossing over the unpleasantness with Ginny with very few details. Once he reached the part where he finally read the note, he handed this to Mr Brockman. "As you can see, they clearly left him on my doorstep in the full knowledge of who they were leaving their child with. They wanted him to be raised by me, specifically, and I intend to honour that request. I'm hoping you can assist me with getting the adoption formalised as soon as possible, but I have no idea of the legal requirements for an adoption in the magical world."

Mr Brockman read through the note before placing it on top of the paperwork in front of him. "Well, I should begin by saying that there are no hoops to be jumped through here. This was clearly a case of the parents choosing you to raise their child and they have given their rights as parents to you as they clearly state in this letter that they want you to raise him as your own. There will be no problems with them contesting the adoption, so that's one more problem avoided. I believe the only thing left is to fill out the paperwork and then perform the blood adoption itself. This particular adoption will be very straightforward and I don't anticipate there would be any problems."

Harry sighed with relief, as Kingsley clapped him on the shoulder heartily. "Well, my young friend, welcome to fatherhood!" he said joyfully. "May the coming years be full of joy and triumph for you both," Kingsley finished.

Harry and Mr Brockman both chuckled at this. Kingsley stood and made his excuses, citing an appointment with a head of another department that he had to get to. "I leave you in good hands, Harry," he said. "Please feel free to drop by once you're finished here. Maybe we can have lunch if you're done early enough?" Kingsley said, sending a querying look at Mr Brockman.

"I believe we can have you done in time for lunch Mr Potter," the manager said happily.

"Wonderful! Then I will see you in a couple of hours," Kingsley said as he left the office.

Harry watched him leave then turned back to older man. "Mr Brockman," Harry started.

"Please Mr Potter, call me Roger. I believe we can get through this much quicker without all the formality bogging us down," he said with a laugh.

Harry grinned. "Roger, thank you, and please, call me Harry," he said.

With that, they filled out the requisite paperwork and with a flash it was filed away in the department. Roger then asked the young assistant to request a Healer come to his office with the adoption potion. They chatted while waiting for the Healer to arrive. Roger called for the Healer to enter after hearing a knock on his office door.

The Healer entered, then stopped, staring in astonishment at Harry and the baby in his arms. Roger stood, getting the woman's attention. She blushed and turned to Roger, extending her hand for him to shake, then Harry after. "Mr Brockman, Mr Potter, my name is Healer Emily Rosethorn. I understand you wanted a Healer to oversee the administering of a blood adoption potion?" she asked.

Roger nodded his head toward Harry. "Yes, Mr Potter has been requested by the birth parents to adopt and raise this child. He requires a blood adoption to ensure that the child can inherit his full holdings in the event of anything happening to him."

Healer Rosethorn turned her attention back to Harry, immediately becoming more professional. "Mr Potter, you are aware of how this potion works?" she asked.

Harry nodded, "Yes, Roger has been very plain in explaining how it works and what the expected outcomes are. This is Lachlan, he will be my son from this day forth."

The Healer nodded with a smile and held out the potion for Harry to take from her. "Please add 3 drops of your own blood and 3 drops of the child's to the vial, then swirl the potion 7 times clockwise and 7 times anti-clockwise. Once that is done, consume half of the potion and we can spell the other half into the child, since he is a bit little to voluntarily drink it on his own. Normally potions for a child this young would be simply placed into their milk bottle, however this is one that cannot be mixed with any other fluids or it will be ruined," Healer Rosethorn said. "He can have another bottle in approximately an hour; that should ensure there is no interference with the potion."

Harry nodded his understanding and did as instructed. Once he had downed his portion of the potion, the Healer spelled the remainder into Lachlan, who startled awake at what was undoubtedly an odd sensation for him. He seemed undecided on whether to protest or not, but a quick tickle and hug from Harry settled him back down again. Now awake, he began looking around the office interestedly. Both Roger and Healer Rosethorn gasped when Lachlan's bright green eyes met theirs.

"Oh, he has beautiful eyes Mr Potter. He already looks so much like you that I can't see there being many physical changes at all. The potion he was given has a mild sedative effect and he should go back to sleep soon. This will ensure that he is not disturbed by any of the physical changes that may occur," the Healer advised.

Harry nodded again, smiling at the woman. "Thank you for your assistance. Do you only work here or do you work in St Mungo's as well?" he asked.

The Healer gave him a quizzical look before confirming that she does also work in the magical hospital, but attends the ministry when called.

Harry smiled at here again before asking, "Would you know who would be the best children's Healer at St Mungo's? I need to bring Lachlan in to have him checked over and want to ensure that we see the best Healer. I don't want to chance anything important being missed," he said.

Healer Rosethorn smiled at Harry and nodded. "Of course Mr Potter. I would recommend bringing him to see Healer Bloomfeld. He is a renowned children's Healer and will ensure there is nothing for you to worry about. I am heading back to the hospital now, would you like me to see if he can make room for you in his schedule this afternoon?" she asked kindly.

Harry gave her a grateful glance. "Yes please, that would be most appreciated. Please assure him that I do not expect him to clear his afternoon for us. If this afternoon doesn't suit, please have him message me with an appropriate date and time and we will attend then."

Healer Rosethorn gave Harry a surprised look, obviously expecting him to be more demanding about people conforming to his schedule rather than the other way around. She gave a small bow of her head at Harry. "Certainly Mr Potter. I believe that Healer Bloomfeld has a light afternoon today, so your timing could not have been better for such a request. I will let him know as soon as I arrive back there. If you do not receive a message beforehand, please arrive at 2pm and I will let Healer Bloomfeld know to expect you. Where will you be between now and then if he needs to get a message to you?" she asked.

"I will be returning to the Minister's office to lunch with him there. You should have no problems reaching me there if needed," Harry said. "Thank you again, enjoy your afternoon Healer Rosethorn," he said politely.

The Healer simply nodded her head at both harry and Roger and left the office without another word. Harry shook Roger's hand and thanked him for his assistance. "You have made this much less painful than I was anticipating Roger. I can't thank you enough for the assistance you have provided. Please, enjoy the rest of your day," he said.

"The pleasure is all mine Harry. I can see that little Lachlan will be well taken care of in future and I am happy to have been able to help. Have a lovely afternoon with the Minister and I hope all goes well with the Healer this afternoon," Roger said with a beaming smile.

Harry made his way out of the office and into the elevator, heading back up to Kingsley's office. He took a moment to check on Lachlan, who was snoozing quite contentedly against him again. He didn't notice any obvious changes as yet, but as the Healer mentioned that she didn't expect much in the way of dramatic changes, he wasn't too surprised. He would just keep an eye on him and ensure he was comfortable.

Once Harry had been ushered back into Kingsley's office, lunch arrived and they made quick work of serving themselves. Harry had unshrunk the baby's basket again and placed him gently into it to continue his nap while they ate. They carried on chatting over lunch until Lachlan began squirming and making little whingeing noises.

Harry wiped his hands on his napkin and bent down to pick Lachlan up, gently shushing him as he laid him down again and changed his nappy. Once finished, he checked the time. It was almost 2pm, so he said his goodbyes to Kingsley and, after letting the man cuddle Lachlan goodbye as well, made his way to the public floo in the Ministry Atrium. Stepping in he threw down the floo powder and called out "St Mungo's Reception" and was spun away.


	6. Chapter 6 - Chapter 5

**A/N: OK, so I had intended to have all of this in the last chapter, but split it because the chapter had become quite big by then. So, here's the visit to the Healer and Ginny's trial.**

Chapter 5

Once at St Mungo's, Harry went up to the Welcome Witch and asked directions to Healer Bloomfeld's rooms. Reaching the office, he knocked and entered when invited.

"Hi, I have an appointment with Healer Bloomfeld at 2pm. My name is Harry Potter and this is Lachlan Potter," he said as he reached the older lady sitting at a reception desk.

"Yes, Mr Potter, Healer Rosethorn had told us you were coming. I'm Aphrodite, Healer Clayton Bloomfeld's assistant. Please, follow me and I'll show you to Healer Bloomfeld," she said, gesturing to the hallway behind her desk.

Harry followed Aphrodite to another closed door, waiting as she knocked and was told to enter. "Healer, I have Mr Potter and Lachlan to see you," she said with a smile as she opened the door and stood aside for Harry to enter.

The Healer rose from his seat, rounding his desk to greet Harry. "Welcome Mr Potter. It's an honour. And welcome to you too, young Master Potter," he said, smiling gently at Lachlan. Harry immediately liked the man. He seemed to have a very kind nature, but then, one would expect that in a healer that works specifically with children. "Please, take a seat and tell me how I can help you today," he said as he closed the door behind Aphrodite.

"Well, I found this little one in a basket on my doorstep yesterday, with a note asking me to raise him as my own. I have no idea how old he is, if he's healthy or has any special needs. I'm hoping you can help me with that," Harry said, sounding a bit overwhelmed.

The Healer gave Harry a smile and said, "Mr Potter, I would be delighted. Could I ask you to please bring Lachlan over to the exam table? If you could please remove his outerwear, it will make the diagnostic and physical exam much easier. I find that children, babies especially, will settle much easier during an exam if they are held by their parents, so if you could hop up on the table with Lachlan on your lap facing me, I'll run the diagnostic exams. It won't interfere with the results," Healer Bloomfeld said. He had a very reassuring voice and Harry instantly relaxed, his instincts telling him this was a good man who knew his business.

"Thank you Healer," Harry said as he moved to do as he was asked. Lachlan, who had been very quiet until now, was now starting to whinge a little. Harry figured a lot had been happening today and he was entitled to be a little cranky. He spoke softly to Lachlan as he unwrapped him from his mini robes and sat himself on the padded table, Lachlan leaning against his chest. He let Lachlan grab hold of his finger and hold on while the Healer ran basic diagnostic tests.

"Well, I can tell you he is, by all accounts, a very healthy little boy. The tests indicate he is 5 months old or thereabouts. He has been very well looked after and has suffered no injuries that I can see. You say he was left on your doorstep? My, that's a bit unusual these days," the Healer said, almost to himself. "Since the war, children are deemed precious by almost all of magical society, it's hard to see anyone giving up a child in such a way. I can see he has recently been given a blood adoption potion?" he queried.

Harry smiled down at Lachlan while answering the Healer. "Yes, we just came from the Ministry, where we completed the adoption. He's now my son," Harry said, beaming at the Healer.

Healer Bloomfeld smiled back at seeing Harry's joy, then continued with the exam. "Hmm he does have quite low body temperature, but that could just be genetic as I can't pinpoint any illness or such that could be causing it. We may want to test him for any creature blood, just in case he might be due an inheritance when he reaches maturity. Some parents don't feel a need to know, and if you prefer it that way I will, naturally, defer to your wishes. However, I find that it helps to be prepared for these things as how a parent initially reacts to such a change can often determine how easily a child adjusts as well."

Harry thought about it for a few moments, then said, "We'll get him tested then. I would rather know so that I can help him deal with any changes that might present when he reaches his majority. The note that was with him did mention the possibility of providing clues to his 'heritage' when he got older, if he chose to investigate that, so it's possible that there is something we should be aware of."

The Healer produced a vial and placed it against Lachlan's arm, murmuring a quick spell that spelled a portion of the baby's blood into the vial. "I'll get this tested and let you know if there's anything we need to discuss. Now, obviously I'm aware of your status in the wizarding community Mr Potter, so I want to reassure you that all of his exam results will remain completely confidential. When we send blood for testing, it's not even labelled with names, just a file number that only my receptionist and I have access to," he said, tickling Lachlan's tummy and making him chortle. "He's a very happy little one, isn't he?" he said, chuckling softly.

Harry breathed a soft sigh of relief at the knowledge that his and Lachlan's privacy was assured. He especially didn't want to have to worry about some nutter getting all worked up about Lachlan if he did turn out to have some creature blood. The exam continued, testing Lachlan's reflexes, his balance and so on. Overall, Harry was impressed with how thorough Healer Bloomfeld was.

Lachlan was pronounced a very healthy baby, with the only thing of note being his slightly lower core temperature, and Harry was allowed to redress him. When that was done, he picked Lachlan up and gave him cuddles and kisses. "You were such a good boy for Healer Bloomfeld," he crooned softly. "Daddy thinks you deserve a bottle for being so good," he said lovingly.

Harry turned back to Healer Bloomfeld. "Is it ok to give him a bottle now? Healer Rosethorn said we had to wait an hour or so, but that was almost 2 hours ago now. I was going to give him one before we came here but he only woke up as it was time to head here," he explained.

The Healer nodded at Harry. "Certainly, Mr Potter. Please, take a seat and you can feed him while we chat." He waited until Harry was seated and Lachlan was contentedly suckling away at his bottle before continuing. "Now, as I said he's a very healthy baby. He obviously has a very healthy appetite to match as well," he said with a chuckle at how quickly the milk was disappearing from the bottle. "Is there anything in particular you need to know, or just general information?" he asked.

Harry looked back down at Lachlan as he answered the Healer. "I'm not sure if I'm feeding him enough. He always drinks his milk so fast, and I don't know if I should be offering him more or if the one bottle is enough. Is he old enough to be trying solid food, or should I simply keep stocking up on formula? What can I expect as he develops from here on?" Harry asked, firing out the questions so quickly it took a minute for Healer Bloomfeld to process them all. When he did, he smiled at Harry, who released a breathy huff. "Sorry, it's just that I've never been around kids much, especially kids this age. I mean, I spend time with my godson Teddy, and he's a great kid, but I'm not his primary caretaker. Really, when I'm there all we do is play. Andromeda, his grandmother, tells me all about what he's up to, but I'm not really there for it, you know?" he explained.

The Healer shook his head at Harry. "First thing you have to do is relax. You seem to be doing fine and he will let you know if he's still hungry. Does he cry when he finishes his bottle?" he asked.

"No," Harry said, thinking about it. "I mean, it's only been a day or so, but he seems content to have the bottle then either sleep or play. He certainly doesn't cry much, in fact, he's a very happy natured baby overall," he said, sounding relieved.

"Then that is your guideline. Trust your instincts, and believe me, if he's still hungry or unhappy in any way, he will let you know. Babies are very good at that sort of thing," Healer Bloomfeld said with a laugh.

Harry laughed as well. "I guess you're right, it's just that I don't want to do anything that will hurt him. I want to make sure that he never knows what it's like to feel hungry. I want to know he's happy, you know?" he said, looking pleadingly at the Healer.

"Of course, that's what we all want as parents. We want to keep our children happy and healthy, ensure they grow up knowing that they are loved and wanted," the Healer said. "I know most first time parents experience anxiety when they first bring their babies home from the hospital, but you didn't have that immediate concern. You have an instant family with a baby who has already gone through some of his first milestones. Do you have elves that can help you, Mr Potter?" Healer Bloomfeld asked.

"Yes, I have two, both of whom have been nanny-elves for their other families. They've been such a great help so far," Harry said gratefully. "I know I can rely on them, but I want to know these things for myself as well. I don't want to just let him be raised by the elves with little to no input from me."

"No, I can tell you will be a very hands-on Daddy," the Healer chuckled. "You'll do fine. Listen to your elves, they will help with anything you don't know and you'll learn as you go along. You'd be amazed how much of child-rearing is just pure common sense and instinct. Humans are designed for this, we pick it up quickly because we're genetically inclined to protect and raise our children, ensuring the propagation of the species. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but the same can be said of any species. If you have any concerns or questions, you are more than welcome to come to me. You can always floo here if you feel it's urgent, or send me an owl to arrange an appointment if not. Naturally, if there is another Healer you feel more comfortable with, that's fine too. Just let me know who and I will forward his exam results to them for you to add to his file," he said.

"No, I'd like you to be his Healer if that's ok. I don't know any others and you've made me feel much better about all this already," Harry said.

"That's fine, Mr Potter. And in that case, I would invite you to call me Healer Clayton, since I suspect we will be seeing each other for many years," he said with a smile. "Now, as I said, whatever you need, please just let me know. I will owl you if there are any concerns in his blood tests and request you come back in to discuss them. Otherwise, we will schedule regular 3-monthly appointments to keep an eye on him and make sure everything is going well," Healer Bloomfeld said.

Harry thanked the man and stood, shouldering the carry-all again as he bid him goodbye and left the office. He stopped at the front desk to schedule another appointment for 3 months' time, then headed back to the main area of the hospital to floo home.

* * *

Upon arriving back home, Harry called for Dobby to set a soft blanket on the floor for Lachlan. Harry laid Lachlan down, conjuring a mobile over the top of him as Winky had done. He sat down next to Lachlan and watched him play for a while, thinking over the information he had received that day. It was a lot to take in, but he felt he had a handle on it for now. And, like the Healer had said, he did have two experienced nanny-elves to help out.

Harry then called Winky to him. When she appeared, he said, "In all the confusion and excitement I forgot to ask. Did you get all the announcements out to everyone about the wedding being cancelled? Did the notice go in the paper? I had just assumed you had it all taken care of since I hadn't been harassed all day."

Winky nodded sadly. "Yes Harry, we's sent a notice to everyone on the guest list letting them know and Dobby took one to the paper and it was printed this morning. Lots of peoples asking questions, but Winky and Dobby told them you would explain later on, just like you said. Dobby popped over to Missus Andromeda and let her know. She said she will be here tomorrow morning. She wanted to come today but Dobby told her you's was busy with appointments today and wouldn't be home."

Harry thanked her and went back to playing with Lachlan.

After watching Lachlan for a bit Harry realised how tired he was and laid down next to him, playing gently with the mobile to keep his attention. Eventually, Lachlan drifted off again and Harry relaxed and dozed off beside him. He didn't hear Winky pop into the room, or cast cushioning charms on the floor so her Harry and Little Master would be more comfortable. She then took up a position on the floor a small distance away, watching over them to make sure they weren't disturbed.

When Harry woke he was a bit disoriented, taking a moment to realise where he was. He looked for Lachlan and, finding the empty blanket beside him, figured that Winky or Dobby must have him. He stretched as he got up, before heading to the kitchen looking for one of the elves. He found Winky there, fixing dinner.

"Hi Winky, is Lachlan with Dobby?" he asked as he entered the room.

Winky smiled at him from her place in front of the stove. "Yes Harry, Dobby has him outside in the garden. Dobby be teaching Little Master all about the plants and animals," she said with a giggle.

"Well, I might have thought he was a bit young for that, but as long as they're having fun," Harry said, laughing heartily. He went through the pantry to the back door, heading out to the garden to find his little boy. As he rounded the edge of a rose garden, he heard Dobby speaking to Lachlan.

"And this is your Daddy's greenhouse. Don't tells him I's told you, but he's not very good with plants. He has his friend Mr Longbottom to help him though, and Dobby listens so he knows how to take care of the plants too," Dobby was saying.

Harry chuckled softly, before entering the greenhouse and coming over to Dobby and Lachlan. Dobby looked up at Harry and smiled broadly before looking back at Lachlan. "Here's your Daddy now, Little Master Lachie," he said in a cooing tone.

"It seems Daddy was more tired than he realised," Harry said with a self-deprecating smile. "Did he sleep long Dobby?" he asked.

"Not long Harry, just a little nap, so Dobby brought him out here so you's could sleep some more. Is the adoption done now? Is he yours?" Dobby asked eagerly.

"Yes," Harry said, "he's all ours now. No one can take him away from us. I'm going to need your help though, you and Winky. I don't know much about children this age, but I know you both have helped raise the children in your former families. I have no doubts we can do this, together," he said, giving his little friend a gentle smile as he reached out to take Lachlan into his arms.

Dobby clapped excitedly once his hands were free again, making Lachlan giggle and try to clap his hands too. "Yes sir, Harry, Dobby and Winky will help you's as much as we can. It's so exciting to have a Little Master to care for again. Oh, Dobby almost forgot! Missus Andromeda floo called, she asked if she can bring Teddy over with her tomorrow. She says he is wanting to see his Uncle Harry very much. Is that being ok Harry?" Dobby asked anxiously.

"Yes Dobby that will be fine. I can catch her up on everything and Teddy can meet Lachlan. I have a feeling they will get along well. Teddy is such a great kid and they're close to the same age. It will be good for them to grow up together. They'll be good company for each other," Harry said reassuringly.

Dobby just grinned and nodded. After enjoying the peace of the greenhouse for a while longer, they went back inside and sat down to dinner. It was a peaceful evening and Harry was looking forward to many more of the same.

* * *

The next morning, Harry and Lachlan had just sat down to have breakfast when the floo flared and Andromeda arrived. Dobby went to greet her and bring her through to the kitchen. Andromeda came in, giving Harry a sad smile, Teddy on her hip squealing when he saw his Uncle Harry. She stopped suddenly in the doorway as she took in Harry with a baby laying on his lap, having a bottle.

"Harry? Who's this little one?" she asked with no small amount of confusion. She had been half expecting to find Harry a blubbering mess after the wedding was cancelled, not knowing if it was him or Ginny that called it off. Although, given how manic Ginny was about the wedding it would have taken something fairly drastic for her to be the one to end it with Harry. She'd been obsessed with him for so long now. To see him smiling and playing with a strange baby had her feeling a little off-kilter.

Harry greeted her and Teddy, then once again launched into the story of Lachlan's arrival as Winky set out tea for Andromeda. He wondered with some amusement how many more times he would have to tell this story. During the telling, he heard the expected gasp at finding Lachlan on the front step, then the outraged hiss at hearing how Ginny had reacted, then Andromeda's delighted expression at how easily the adoption had proceeded. She relaxed noticeably when Harry told her of the Healer's thorough exam and diagnosis that Lachlan was a very healthy baby. By the time he was done, Lachlan had finished his bottle and was sitting on Harry's lap again, playing with a toy that Winky fetched for him.

"Oh Harry," she breathed out when he was done. "So much has happened. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I got here this morning. I was worried about you all night, thinking you might have been upset and needing comfort. Dobby assured me you were ok of course, but I worried, nonetheless. I don't know what to say. Can we swap babies for a minute? I'd like to officially meet my new grand-nephew," Andromeda said, with a sunny smile.

Harry laughed, relieved at how she had taken the news. "Sure, let's swap. I need my Teddy snuggles anyway," he said.

After switching the babies around, Andromeda managed to get a good look at Lachlan while Harry was snuggling and playing with Teddy. Teddy turned his hair black as soon as he was handed to Harry, making him laugh again and squeeze him tight. "What a clever boy you are Teddy! Look at what you did, you look just like Uncle Harry now," he said with a bright smile for the baby. "He seems huge after holding Lachlan for the past couple of days!"

Andromeda looked over at them, loving how much more relaxed Harry was with Teddy, and how much Teddy loved being with his Uncle Harry. "I can't believe how much he looks like you Harry," she said. "Did this happen after the blood adoption potion?"

Harry shook his head. "No, he actually already looked like me when he got here. The only changes I've noticed this morning is that his hair is a bit messier," he said wryly. "Before that, it was pretty straight but still black. Now he has the Potter hair. Poor kid," he laughed. "Of all the things to take from the adoption he has to get that one!"

Andromeda chuckled, looking back at Lachlan who had discovered the brooch she had on her lapel and was trying to grab it. "Well, he certainly is a little mini you now, isn't he? Almost makes it seem like it was meant to be, doesn't it."

Harry thought about that, then grinned at her. "Actually, you're right. I've felt like that since I first picked him up. It's like I told Ron and Hermione, he just…fits," he said.

Andromeda stayed for the morning before packing Teddy up and getting ready to head home for him to have a nap. Harry let her know that she could come over anytime, and to just call Dobby or Winky and let them know when and he'll make sure to be home. "I want the boys to be around each other as much as they can. It will be good for them to grow up together. They'll be good company for each other," he explained.

"Harry, I know you said the trial is the day after tomorrow. Will you have someone there with you? I don't want you to go through this alone but I don't want to intrude if you would prefer I didn't come," Andromeda said seriously.

"I won't be alone. Hermione and all of the Weasleys will be there. We'll support each other, I think. Of course, you're more than welcome, I just don't want you to feel like you _have_ to come," he said softly.

"Well, I think I would like to be there, to add my support, if that's ok. We are family and I want to be there for you when you need support," she said firmly.

Harry just hugged her. "Thank you," he whispered to her. "I'm so grateful I have such an amazing extended family."

When they broke apart, Harry blinked to clear his vision and then smiled at Andromeda once more as she and Teddy flooed away home. Lachlan started patting his face to get his attention back on him, making Harry laugh. "Oh I can see you're going to be a handful if you feel like you're not getting enough attention," he said. He tickled under Lachlan's chin, making the baby squeal and wiggle around in his arms.

Harry tried to put the trial out of his mind and concentrate on Lachlan for the rest of the day. When he had put him to bed for the night, he finally sat down to write the letter to the Wizengamot with his recommendation of treatment for Ginny rather than incarceration. Finishing, he gave the letter to Dobby, asking him to take it to Kingsley in the morning. For now, he would just focus on enjoying the next day with Lachlan. There was nothing he could do about Ginny until the trial anyway, so no point stressing over it.

* * *

The day of Ginny's trial dawned bright and sunny, which seemed somehow wrong to Harry. He sighed heavily before getting out of bed and going through his morning ablutions. He checked the nursery and found Lachlan missing, so headed down to the kitchen. Dobby had Lachlan and was feeding him his morning bottle, while Winky was busy finishing off breakfast.

Harry walked over to the table and sat down next to Dobby, leaning over to kiss Lachlan on the forehead and run his hand through the soft dark hair, so like his own. Lachlan gurgled at him around the teat in his mouth, making little bubbles of milk before going back to his usual hungry sucking. Dobby looked at Harry, seeing the hint of sadness on his face. "It be ok Harry, Missy Ginny will get help and be ok. You have Little Master to think of now, and Dobby and Winky to help. It be ok," Dobby repeated forcefully.

Harry smiled at his little friend, it seemed odd to see him so serious and almost fierce in his assertions. "Thank you Dobby, I know we'll get through this, but today is going to be very hard on everyone. I can't help but think about the look on Ginny's face as they took her away. There wasn't even a hint of remorse on her face, no acknowledgement that she had done something that most people would consider heinous. I wonder if she's beyond help. In my letter to the Wizengamot, I asked for treatment for Ginny as I intended, but I also said that they should put a reasonable limitation on the time of the treatment. If she has shown no improvement by that time, they might need to look at incarceration instead. Now, I wonder if that was a bit harsh. What if they take my recommendations but the time limit they put on her treatment is not long enough and they just give up on her? I'm not sure it was the right thing to do," he admitted sadly.

Dobby shook his head. "Harry, you's a good person. Everyone knows you wouldn't give up on someone just because they did something bad, if you thought they could be redeemed. You will make sure they do the right thing. Dobby has faith in you," he said.

Harry slung an arm around Dobby's shoulders and gave him a quick sideways hug. "Thanks Dobby, you always know how to make me feel better," he said, smiling.

Lachlan finished his bottle just then, so Harry picked him up and burped him, taking a moment to enjoy just holding him. Lachlan then let loose with a rather huge burp, making Harry laugh. "Alright, moment over," he said chuckling. "Let's get you ready little man. This is going to be a long day," he said ruefully.

* * *

After making sure they had everything they would need, Harry and Lachlan flooed to the Ministry again and headed for the courtroom that Kingsley had told him was being used for the trial. As they neared the doors, they saw the Weasleys and Hermione waiting, along with Andromeda and Teddy. They were all talking quietly and the mood was sombre. After a round of hugs, they all moved into the courtroom to take their seats. Harry, Ron and Hermione had to sit in the witness seating, while the rest of the group moved to the spectators area.

Harry looked over and saw Ginny seated with her lawyer at the defence table. She looked back at him, then turned her gaze to Lachlan, which immediately filled with pure malice. He shuddered as he turned his attention back to the front of the room. He felt like he was looking at a stranger.

The Wizengamot filed in and everyone stood while they got seated. The Chief Witch, Augusta Longbottom, waited until everyone was seated before addressing the room and telling everyone else to be seated.

"We are here today for the trial of Ginevra Weasley, on the charges of drawing her wand on an infant and casting a hex at said infant. Mr Potter, if you could please take a seat in the witness chair," Chief Witch Longbottom began.

Harry handed Lachlan to Hermione and moved to sit in the chair situated in the centre of the courtroom. The Chief Witch asked him to tell the story of the day in question, from the beginning, when the baby first arrived. After he had finished his tale, most of the courtroom was looking at Ginny in disgust and horror. Ginny simply raised her head high and looked right back at them. She still didn't seem to think she had done anything wrong.

Chief Witch Longbottom looked at Ginny's lawyer. "Mr Essam, do you have any questions for the witness?" she asked.

"Yes I do," the man said, getting up and strutting over to Harry. "Mr Potter, isn't it true that the child in question is your child, the product of an illicit affair that you had behind my client's back?" he began snidely.

Harry just stared at the man in astonishment. "No, it is not my child. I have never had sex with anyone, not even Ginny, so no, it's not possible that this is my child," Harry said indignantly but firmly.

The man looked at him with obvious scorn. "You seriously expect us all to believe that a healthy young man like yourself, famous and honoured in the magical community, is still a virgin? Come Mr Potter, we are not stupid. You must get propositioned every day by every available witch and wizard," he said condescendingly.

Harry glared at him. "Yes I expect you to believe it, because it's the truth. I have never slept with anyone in my life. Just because people proposition me does not mean I have to accept them. I do have honour and integrity, Mr Essam, and I do not take advantage of people. I am still a virgin, since I had expected to share that intimacy for the first time with my wife on our wedding night. That may make me strange, perhaps even a little old-fashioned, but it doesn't make me a liar," he said.

Mr Essam scoffed again. "Would you be willing to answer that same question under Veritaserum Mr Potter?" he asked, feeling certain that he had caught Harry in his lie and that he would refuse.

Harry sat up straight in the chair, but before he could answer, the Chief Witch banged her gavel on the desk in front of her. "Mr Essam, may I remind you that it is your client that is on trial here, not Mr Potter. If anyone is going to be questioned under Veritaserum it will be Ms Weasley, and it will be this panel that decides on the use of such a method of questioning. You will treat Mr Potter with the respect he deserves as he has done nothing to warrant the attitude you are displaying currently," she said sternly.

Harry turned to the Wizengamot as he spoke next. "If it pleases the court, I would be happy to swear an oath as to the truth of my statement if that would help," he said firmly.

The Chief Witch looked at Harry, then nodded. "If you wish to do so, Mr Potter, you are welcome to, although I wish it stated for the record that we do not find it necessary."

Harry simply drew his wand, holding it straight up in front of him and looking the lawyer in the eyes. "I, Harry James Potter, do swear on my magic that everything I have said here today is the truth. So mote it be," He said. As he finished, he cast _lumos_ , proving that he still had his magic. "Is that good enough for you?" he asked sarcastically, staring at Mr Essam.

Mr Essam simply stared at Harry. He was so certain that he would win this case as Ginny had sworn to him that Harry had fathered the child and clearly didn't want to look like the bad guy in this case. She had seemed so crushed by the idea that Harry would accuse her of something like this, acting the part of the injured party, and he had fallen for it, every word. He looked at his client in dismay, realising that his firm opening stance had completely backfired on him. "No further questions, Madam," he said faintly, turning to go back to the defence table.

The Chief Witch looked at Mr Essam sternly. "Mr Essam, I want it on record that you are on warning for overstepping your bounds. This is not a public forum for you to grandstand. You will conduct yourself professionally at all times or you will be ejected. Are we clear?" she said commandingly.

"Yes, your honour. I apologise to the court and Mr Potter for my erroneous assumption," he replied. Ginny turned to look at him scathingly, then turned her head away and stared fixedly at a spot on the wall behind the Chief Witch, tuning out everyone and everything around her.

The Chief Witch then excused Harry from the witness chair and he returned to his seat, taking Lachlan back from Hermione. She had Ron and Hermione come up and tell their side as well. After hearing three versions of the exact same story, they quickly determined that it was time to hear from Ginny. She was escorted to the chair by the Auror guard and forced to sit when she resisted. The Chief Witch asked her to tell her version of that day. Ginny just ignored every word spoken to her, refusing to answer any questions. At this point, Chief Witch Longbottom sighed and called an Auror to administer Veritaserum.

Ginny definitely reacted to that, voicing her protestation to being questioned under the truth potion. "You can't do this! It's not like I killed someone or something! For Merlin's sake, you lot never even use Veritaserum for most _serious_ trials, and this is just a trifle! How dare you treat me like this?" she screeched.

"Ms Weasley, you have been given a chance to defend your actions and have chosen not to do so. One can only assume that you will not be answering truthfully, or at all, unless given a reason to do so," the Chief Witch said. "Auror, proceed," she continued.

The Auror attempted to administer the potion, but Ginny clamped her jaws shut and refused to take it. At that, the Auror placed her in a full body bind then pried her mouth open and 3 drops of the potion were dripped onto her tongue. He waited a moment until the potion had drizzled down her throat, taking note of the glazed look in her eyes. He unbound her then turned to the Chief Witch and bowed.

"Ms Weasley, were you present when the baby arrived at Mr Potter's residence? The Chief Witch asked.

"Yes", Ginny replied.

"Please describe for the court what happened after Mr Potter brought the child into the house," she said.

"I took one look at the brat and knew that Harry had cheated on me. The kid had his green eyes and black hair. Harry tried to deny it, but I knew. I told him to hand the brat off the Aurors so that we could get back to the wedding preparations," she said in a monotone.

"And what was Mr Potter's reaction to your demand?"

"He told me he was going to keep the kid. I couldn't have that, there was no way I was going to raise a kid that my fiancé had with some other whore. The wedding was the next day and I just wanted it gone so that we could get back to it," Ginny said.

"You said Mr Potter denied fathering the child. Did you have any reason other than the fact that the child looked somewhat like Mr Potter to believe that he had fathered him?" the Chief Witch asked.

"No, I just knew. I had cheated on him several times, while he was away with Ron and Hermione that last year before the final battle and after he came back and we got back together. I knew if I could, then he could too. Why wouldn't he, when he gets asked for sex all the time by other witches?" she said.

Harry gaped at Ginny after hearing this. He had never suspected that she would have cheated on him. Fair enough, during the time he was away, as they had officially broken it off before he left. But to find out that she had cheated on him since they got back together was a huge blow to him. He looked over to Ron and Hermione to find them looking just as stunned as he did.

"Ms Weasley, you have always given the impression that you were devoted to Mr Potter. Why would you cheat on him?" one of the other Wizengamot members asked.

"Harry refused to sleep with me. I have needs and he wasn't doing anything to help with that. So, I found someone who would," she said, sounded a little smug, even under the influence of the potion.

The Chief Witch decided to move on from that subject. "Ms Weasley, did you in fact draw your wand and attempt to hex the child as Mr Potter was holding him?"

"Yes," Ginny said. "Harry never refuses me what I want and this time he wasn't giving in like he usually does. I was mad that he was being so unreasonable, so I threw a bat bogey at the kid. It's not like it would have hurt it or anything. I was hoping he would realise how serious I was about not taking the kid in and call the Aurors," she said, still completely unemotional. Harry gave a shudder listening to her.

"Ms Weasley, you have to know that, even if that hex had not physically harmed the child, it would have been very traumatic for one that age to go through. Surely you can see that what you did was wrong? Didn't you care about what might have happened to the child?" another Wizengamot member asked.

"No," Ginny replied. "The kid is not important. Harry will realise that we will be happier together without the brat dragging us down. We have plans. I will be playing Quidditch for a few years and Harry would be an Auror. He would become even more famous, and we would discuss having kids later after I got too old for Quidditch. I have no wish to be burdened by brats at my age. I might never want to have any. Harry went on and on about kids all the time, saying he wanted a big family. I figured if I just held out long enough he would forget about it and we could continue to enjoy our lives the way I wanted it to be."

Harry could barely comprehend what he was hearing. Molly was crying behind him, with Arthur shushing her softly. Harry could only imagine how hard it must be to hear this. It was definitely something he would never have expected from Ginny. Once again, he was struck by the thought that he was watching a stranger sitting there in front of the court. Their Ginny wasn't this calculating, she had never shown any of this type of behaviour before. _Was she just that good at hiding it or is this something new?_ He wondered to himself.

The Chief Witch looked sadly at Ginny. "Ms Weasley, you don't sound as if you are in love with Mr Potter at all. Why were you marrying him if you were against so many of the things that Mr Potter wanted out of your marriage?" she asked, incredulous.

"I'm not in love with him. I know he's rich, and he can make my life as comfortable as I want it to be. I want to take lots of holidays to exotic places. I want to own a big manor house that would be the envy of all my friends. Harry went and bought that little shack in Hogsmeade without even asking me first. I was horrified when I saw it. He was showing me around, looking so proud of himself for having 'found us a home'," she said. "I wanted to burn the thing down and then get him to buy one that was more suitable for our status in the wizarding world. I would have eventually talked him around to moving into something more worthy of us."

Harry felt like he couldn't deal with any more at this point. Everything he had believed about his life with Ginny, their future, was crashing down around his ears. He may have resigned himself to the idea that they would not be getting married anymore, but he had never even suspected she had this level of manipulation within her. He shuddered again, thinking about what his life would have been like had Lachlan never appeared and forced Ginny's hand. He would have been trapped, basically being manipulated into what Ginny saw as their perfect future. He may never have known what it was like to hold his own children. If Ginny had her way, that was more than just a possibility. He hugged Lachlan close, eternally grateful that he had come into his life. He felt like he had dodged a bullet.

The courtroom erupted in more whispering, but Harry didn't hear it, absorbed in his thoughts as he was. Finally the Chief Witch looked at the other members of the Wizengamot. They all nodded once at her and she banged the gavel on the desk again. "Auror, please administer the antidote to Ms Weasley," she said.

Once this was done, Ginny slowly blinked her eyes as reality returned. Then her eyes widened as she realised what she had admitted while under the influence of the potion. She immediately turned to Harry, her expression pleading. "Harry, they must have given me something to make me say all that. You know I love you, I could never be like that with you. Harry, you believe me right?" she asked desperately.

Harry just shook his head at her, looking away. Ginny looked at the rest of her family members, seeing them all giving her the same sad and pitying looks. The hateful smirk returned to her face. "Why are you all looking at me like that? You know very well that Harry would have done what I asked and enjoyed it. Not like I had to try very hard, is it Harry?" she sneered as she looked back at Harry.

"Actually Ginny, I only gave in to you on things that didn't matter much to me. I never gave in on the house, since it was my choice and I didn't want to live and raise our family in a mausoleum. I wanted them to be raised somewhere like the burrow, warm and comfortable. I love the fact that, when I walk into the burrow, I can feel the love in every room of that house. That's what I wanted, and what I thought you wanted as well. Obviously, I never knew you at all. I can honestly say that I would never have gone along with your vision of 'our' future. At some point I would have protested and I would have left. You would have been alone and I would have moved on. I guess I'm lucky to have found out now, instead of 10 years down the track," Harry said. "You knew how much a family meant to me, and you had to have guessed why I would have identified with Lachlan as I did. How could you possibly expect someone who had gone through what I did to condemn another child to that same fate?"

Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry. "Seriously Harry? Every time, it's all _'Oh I had a terrible childhood'_ and _'I want to have children, to raise them the way I wish I had been raised'._ Poor Harry, do you think you were the only one who had a horrible childhood? You're so busy feeling sorry for yourself that you forgot about what I want in life. Isn't what I want just as important as what you want?" she asked angrily.

"I suppose it is to you," Harry said stiffly. "However, I would never have even looked at you as a potential partner if I had known you didn't share the same vision of the future as I did. You should have found someone else who could give you what you wanted, instead of trying to mould me into what you wanted your 'perfect husband' to be. Why would you waste your time on me if I was the complete opposite of what you wanted?"

"Because you had the money, and I knew you were malleable. If I played my cards right, I could have had it all. I'm the only female Weasley. I was expected to make a good marriage and bring the Weasley name back into respectability in our world. If you had just gone along, I could have done just that. But no, it's all about you, isn't it Harry?" she scoffed.

"For Merlin's sake Ginny!" cried Arthur. "We never raised you to be this shallow. We certainly never gave you any ideas of 'redeeming the Weasley' name in society. Why would you think we expected this of you?"

"You may not have, but _I_ expected this of me. I was so ashamed to be part of this family. To always have everything second-hand, to be looked down on as 'blood traitors'? You think I didn't hear the whispers? Everyone wondering why you had so many children if you couldn't afford them? Please! You chose to have this many children and condemned us to being second-rate citizens. I hate you for that," she spat at her parents.

Molly and Arthur looked like they had been hit with an axe. They had always done what they could for their children, given them everything they could. They made sure they had what they needed and they thought they were happy. They had always taken pride in their close-knit family, in the love they had for each other. They had thought it was enough that they didn't actually go without. This was a huge blow to their long-held beliefs.

The Chief Witch then called for silence, feeling this had gone on long enough. "Mr Potter, I know you had sent a letter of recommendation in for us to consider. Do you still stand by your request, knowing what you now know?" she asked Harry.

Harry looked over at the Weasleys, then at Ron and Hermione. They all gave subtly shook their heads at him. He knew that, if it was anyone else, he would have thrown the book at them without hesitation. But he couldn't do that without consulting with the rest of the family first. Ron put a hand on his shoulder, whispering, "You do what you feel is right, mate. None of us will hold it against you now, not with everything we just heard."

Harry took a deep breath and released it slowly. "No Madam, I find I have changed my opinion on an acceptable punishment for Ms Weasley. I trust the court to make the right decision on this," he said sadly.

The Wizengamot were all looking at him with varying degrees of pity and understanding. "Then we will recess for lunch while the Wizengamot deliberates on the matter. Please remain in the building and we will announce when we are ready to resume," the Chief Witch said. Everyone stood as the Wizengamot did, waiting until they had filed out before beginning to talk again. Harry and the others watched as Ginny was restrained and led out by the Auror guard. Unbelievably, she still held her head high as she left. Harry shook his head as he turned to back to the Weasleys.

"Oh God," he said. "I can't even begin to process what I heard today. Molly, Arthur, I'm so sorry. I had no idea any of this was going on. I honestly thought she was just sick, that she just needed help with managing her anger. It never occurred to me that you would have to hear all of that," he said, his voice strained with emotion.

Molly threw her arms around Harry and Lachlan. "Harry, please. You have nothing to apologise for. We raised Ginny the same as the rest of our children. We never saw this coming, and not one of the other children has ever believed or behaved in this manner. How could you possibly expect that you would have picked up on something that we never saw in all those years?" she cried.

Harry looked at the other Weasleys over Molly's shoulder, seeing them all nodding in agreeance with Molly's words. Arthur patted him on the shoulder as Molly continued to cry softly as Harry held her. Andromeda was standing a little bit back from the Weasleys, but he could see her also nodding along with the family. Teddy looked up at him then and beamed a brilliant smile at Harry, and he could feel his heart lighten as he was surrounded by his family's acceptance and love. Finally Molly quieted, and Arthur wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her away as they all moved to leave the courtroom. Hermione suggested they head to the cafeteria to get some lunch, and they made their way there, mostly in silence.

* * *

Harry and his extended family sat through a quiet lunch. Harry changed and fed Lachlan, his lunch waiting for him to finish. The baby was then passed around for snuggles with the rest of the family while Harry ate. Just as he finished, 3 bells sounded and an announcement came on advising that the Wizengamot was ready to reconvene. As one, they all got up and made their way back to the courtroom to hear the verdict and sentencing.

After the Wizengamot all took their seats, the entire courtroom hushed, awaiting the verdict. The Chief Witch looked at the defence table. "Ms Weasley, please rise to hear the verdict." She then waited until Ginny and her lawyer were on their feet. Ginny was still glaring around the room at anyone who met her gaze.

"Ms Ginevra Weasley, it is the decision of this court that you are guilty of one charge of attempted assault on a minor, attempted assault on one Harry Potter, and one charge of attempted child abuse. In these post-war years, after losing so many of our magical children to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers, every child born is precious and should be protected at all costs. If we are to rebuild, they are our future. We cannot afford to lose any more. You have shown a wilful disregard for the health of Lachlan Potter and we have seen no indication of remorse on your part. For this reason, we have decided to pronounce the maximum sentence for your crimes. For the charge of attempted assault on a minor, you are sentenced to 5 years in medium security in Azkaban prison. For the attempted abuse of said minor, you are sentenced to 5 years in medium security in Azkaban prison. For the attempted assault of Mr Harry Potter, you are sentenced to 5 years in medium security in Azkaban prison. You will not be eligible for parole until you have served a minimum of 12 years. Court is dismissed," the Chief Witch announced, banging the gavel one last time.

Ginny screeched as she was once again restrained and led from the courtroom. Harry sagged in his seat, relieved that it was over, but overwhelmed by everything that he had heard that day. He stayed where he was until Andromeda came over and touched his arm, drawing his attention away from the door that Ginny had been taken through. As he looked up at her, she saw his eyes welling with unshed tears. "I know now that it was all fake, but…." He trailed off, unable to articulate what he was feeling at that moment.

"I know, Harry. It will take some time, and you must allow yourself to grieve for the future you had planned. We will all help you through this, but you have to realise that there is only one person at fault here, and that is Ginny. You have done nothing to earn the enmity she has displayed towards you. You were just as innocent in this as Lachlan is. Allow your family to take care of you this time Harry. This once, allow us to be here for you," she said, blinking rapidly to clear her own blurred vision.

Harry nodded as he sighed and stood, still cradling Lachlan close to him. He couldn't believe how well-behaved Lachlan had been throughout the whole trying day. He had simply cuddled close to Harry, as if knowing Harry needed the closeness to get through it. Harry looked around then moved to follow the rest of the family out of the courtroom. As they neared the Atrium, they could hear a disturbance. Harry suddenly groaned, making everyone look at him worriedly. "The press," he said, knowing that he would be facing them as they left the Ministry. "I'm sure that's them making such a ruckus out front. Merlin, I don't want to have to face them today, but I know if I don't give a statement it's just going to end up with us all being hounded day and night!"

Everyone closed ranks around Harry and Lachlan as they drew closer to the Atrium. Once they got there, they were immediately set upon by reporters, shouting overlapping questions that they had no chance of understanding. Suddenly an ear-piercing whistle rang out, making everyone suddenly cover their ears, looking for the source. As all gazes landed on Ron, he moved forward in front of Harry, facing the reporters. "Right, you will all be quiet and behave in a civilised manner or Mr Potter and his family will be leaving immediately. Mr Potter will be making a statement first, then he will indicate whose questions he will answer. Anyone speaking out of turn will be ejected. Are we clear?" he said in a stern voice.

Everyone settled down and waited for Harry to speak. Ron nodded once then moved back to Harry's side. "Thanks Ron," Harry murmured gratefully.

"As you all know, I have recently called off my impending marriage to Ms Ginevra Weasley. I have chosen to adopt a child, and Ms Weasley did not take it well. She is now being escorted to Azkaban on charges relating to an attempt to harm said child. This is my son, Lachlan Potter. He is fine, I am fine, but we are obviously all still stunned by the actions of Ms Weasley. I ask for your patience in this trying time and allow myself and the Weasleys our privacy to deal with the outcomes of the last few days. Now, I will take 5 questions and only 5 questions," Harry said, as he pointed to a middle-aged man in front for the first question.

"Quentin Post for the _Daily Prophet_. Mr Potter, rumours are rampant, claiming that Ms Weasley attempted to kill you and the child. If that is the case, how is it that the Weasley family is standing beside you?" he asked snappily.

"The Weasleys have been a great comfort to me in the past couple of days. I will not go into detail, though I will clarify that Ms Weasley did not attempt to kill either myself or Lachlan. She did, however, draw her wand on me and throw a hex in my direction while I was holding Lachlan. Next?" Harry said, pointing to a young woman around the middle of the group.

"Clara Bowen for _Witch Weekly_. Mr Potter, how did you end up choosing and adopting the child in the first place?" she asked, sounding very young and intimidated.

"The exact circumstances of how Lachlan came to be in my care is no one's business but mine and my family. All you need to know is that he needed a home and I chose to take him in and adopt him. Next?" he asked, pointing to an older man off to the side.

"Walter Rawley for the _Manchester Chronicle_. The child, Lachlan you said? He looks an awful lot like you. Does that mean that the rumours that he was the product of an affair might be true?" he asked, sounding almost breathless with anticipation of a juicy story.

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, what it means is that I have blood adopted him, making him my son in all ways. His physical features have changed a little, taking on some of my own characteristics, as often happens with these types of adoptions. I will remind you all that I am under no obligation to answer any of your questions, so if you want me to continue, be very careful what questions you decide to ask if I indicate you. Next?" Harry said impatiently, pointing randomly towards the back at a middle-aged woman. OK, so he stretched the truth a little, but it was essentially correct.

"Wilma Radhouse for _Teen Witch_. Mr Potter, is there any truth to the rumours that Ms Weasley had strayed during your relationship? There have been numerous reports over the past 6 months or so of her being spotted with several different men," she said, almost timidly, as if afraid to overstep.

Harry was taken aback by this, as he hadn't been aware of any such rumours. While he was floundering for a response, Arthur stepped up beside him, placing a calming hand on Harry's shoulder. "Our daughter has made many questionable choices in the past few years, and yes, I can confirm that she has in fact strayed. Mr Potter is the injured party here, and as such has our complete support during this time. There will be one more question. Make it a decent one, if you please."

Everyone stared at Arthur in amazement that he would stand up for Harry and condemn his own daughter in such a way. Harry then pointed to a young man off to the side again, who was giving Harry a sympathetic look.

"Trent Michaelson for _Cambridge Times_. Mr Potter, what are your plans for the future now?" he asked simply.

Harry huffed out a breath. "For the immediate future, I will be concentrating on spending time with my family, raising Lachlan and ensuring that his needs are met. I have no concrete plans apart from that. Now, if you will excuse us, I need to get my son home for a nap," he said.

As the large family started moving, the reporters parted and allowed them to make their way to the floo. They stayed back as everyone flooed away, giving them their space. Harry turned to the group. "You're all welcome to come back to my place if you wish. I believe we could all do with a nice cup of tea and some peace and quiet," he said softly, so as not to be overheard.

Everyone nodded and they left singly or in pairs through the floo, whispering the floo address so no one would be able to pick up on it.


	7. Chapter 7 - Chapter 6

**A/N: So sorry it's taken me so long to get this new chapter up. I promise, for all those who messaged and asked, I have not abandoned this story and will definitely not abandon it in future. I have a plan and, although my update schedule may be erratic at times due to RL, I will always make sure I update at some point.**

 **A/N 2: Just a reminder, after this chapter, there will be some time skips going on. I don't intend to show every day of their lives for the next however many years. I just wanted to settle the first few weeks of the new Potter family before moving ahead to later years.**

Chapter 6

On arriving home, Harry took a moment to simply stand in the room and let his mind wander. He was stunned by the Ginny he had seen in the court room, this was not the girl he thought he knew. Although there had been signs that she was a bit manic and slightly manipulative, Harry had never thought she could be so…callous, so openly hostile to the family that had raised her and to him, the man she was supposed to love.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Lachlan patting his cheek and gurgling at him again. He looked down at him and smiled, giving him a kiss on the top of his head as he smelled that lovely baby smell. He would take comfort in his family now, starting with Lachlan. He needed nothing else to make him happy. From now on, Lachlan would come first. When he raised his head and looked into Lachlan's eyes, he was suddenly snared by the ageless look he was confronted with. Lachlan's intense gaze seemed somehow knowing and slightly sad, if he had to put a name to it. Suddenly, Lachlan blinked, breaking the disconcerting stare. He grinned up at Harry, his eyes happy and laughing once more. Harry shook his head at his fanciful thoughts and squeezed Lachlan a little closer. Lachlan's head went on his shoulder and Harry once again had that same feeling of peace, like all was suddenly right with the world.

Harry started to wonder if all parents felt like this with their children. Sure, he knew there were parents who would never know what he felt right then, never appreciate the gift that they were given in their children. But the normal parents, the ones who actually wanted their children, did they also feel like this when holding their sweet ones? He fervently hoped so.

Harry heard the floo open behind him and turned, smiling at Ron and Hermione when they arrived. Hermione launched herself at Harry (although slightly more restrained than usual, given he had Lachlan in his arms at the time!) and he braced for incoming, rocking back on his heels slightly as Hermione crashed into him. He put his head down on her shoulder, snickering quietly to himself.

"It's a good thing you trust me, Hermione," he said eventually. "One of these days you just might take me by surprise and we'll both hit the deck!"

"Never Harry, you could never let me down," she said in a serious tone. "You will always catch me Harry, everyone who knows you knows you would do the same for them," she finished with a small sniffle. Then it was like a floodgate opened, as she sobbed on his shoulder. "Oh Harry, I don't understand it at all. Ginny and I have always been such good friends, we supported each other through our crushes, celebrated together when everything was over and our men were back, safe and sound. How could I never have picked up on any of what she said today?"

At this Harry just pulled her more firmly against him and squeezed just a little, finally stopping the rush of words. "Hermione, you can't blame yourself here. Obviously, she is a better actress than any of us gave her credit for. I was around her the most these past couple of years, if anyone should have seen it, I should have, and I saw nothing that would indicate this level of hatred. I feel horrible that everyone in our family got caught up in all of this, but I feel so much more secure with the knowledge that I have all of you watching my back, just as I watch yours. Now, come on. Time to have a cuppa and relax for a while. No more sad thoughts. Let's just celebrate being all together today."

Hermione gave him an extra hard squeeze, then stepped back, wiping at her eyes as she smiled a Harry. She then took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Right, I'll go see if Winky has the tea ready shall I?" she said as she hurried out of the room.

Harry looked at Ron, he saw the sadness in his friend's eyes and the resignation. Ron knew there was nothing he could do about what had happened, he also knew that there was no way he would have picked up on Ginny being anything other than a devoted girlfriend and sister. He had always had blinders when it came to Ginny, he guessed they all had really. He gave a rueful smile to Harry and shrugged. "So, tea mate?" he said softly.

Harry clapped Ron on the shoulder then turned to head towards the kitchen, Ron falling into step beside him. They walked in companionable silence to the kitchen, where they found Hermione sitting at the table chatting with Winky and Dobby. Winky was smiling as she worked to get the tea and snacks ready for all of their guests when Harry, Ron and the little Master walked in. Winky immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed over to Harry, standing on the table in front of him and reaching out to grab a hug from Lachlan. Lachlan, for his part, just leaned into Winky and was carried away as Winky popped him on her hip and went back to what she was doing. Harry blinked and looked at Ron in amazement. "I feel like I was just robbed!" he said jokingly.

Ron snickered and thumped Harry on the arm. "Come on, Mate, let's sit down before the rest of the horde gets here. There's food!" he said as he pulled out a chair.

"Hang on Ron," Harry said suddenly. "We'll have the rest of the mob here soon. I better make some room. Hermione, Dobby, would you mind standing for a moment while I expand the table?" he asked.

They both moved to the side of the room and Harry gestured, making the table and the kitchen itself expand to accommodate more people. There was now room for 12 at the table. Hermione gave Harry her usual exasperated look that she gave whenever Harry effortlessly performs wandless and wordless magic. She knows he thinks it's no big deal, but she had been trying for ages and still couldn't do more than a few simple spells that way. It was so frustrating for the girl who had always bested everyone at school. Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione, moving back to the table to sit again.

* * *

Gradually, the rest of the family arrived through the floo. As opposed to the normal noise levels expected when more than 3 of any Weasleys get together, they were a quiet, solemn bunch. Everyone moved silently, almost automatically, to the kitchen, taking places at the table. Molly noticed that the tea had already been made and the tea service, along with biscuits and pastries, was on the table waiting. She gave a quick smile to the elves and quietly thanked them, making them blush and give a quick nod/bow in return.

Molly and Arthur went over to Harry and just took him into their arms, not saying a word even now. They had a moment of shared grief before moving to sit at the table with everyone else. Suddenly Lachlan squealed and started vocalising from his place in Winky's arms. "Da-da-da-da-da-da-da," he said, reaching for Harry and frantically making grabbing motions with both hands.

Harry looked at him, stunned. "Did he just-" he broke off, looking at the others in the room, noticing his shock mirrored on their faces as well.

"Merlin Harry, the kid knows what he wants, that's for sure," Ron said with a laugh, covering his ears as Lachlan increased in volume the longer Harry took to come get him. Winky quickly brought Lachlan over to Harry, transferring him gently to Harry's lap. Lachlan just snuggled into Harry's chest, his little head stuck into its usual spot in the crook of Harry's neck. "Da-da-da-da-da-da-da," he kept saying, softly now, as he patted the other side of Harry's neck with his little hand. Harry gave a half-laugh, half-sob and hugged the baby to him, kissing the side of his head gently. Everyone awwww-ed and looked on with soft, indulgent (occasionally teary) smiles. Harry smiled back, thinking maybe, just maybe, they would get through this all ok.

After a while, Harry realised that Lachlan had dozed off on his shoulder, so he turned his attention to the rest of his family. They all appeared to have helped themselves to tea now, and most had some form of snack as well. He felt so blessed to have them in his life, especially now.

Arthur looked at him, smiling softly, and asked, "Harry, I gather you were going to stay home with Lachlan for now rather than find a job?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "I think he'll need me and to be honest, I really don't want to be the kind of Dad who isn't there for him. I want to stay with him and make sure I'm there for all the milestones. When he first walks, when he gets his first training broom, I want to be there for it all. I'm lucky enough to have the means to do that, so I figured, why not? I might as well since he is likely to be the only child I'll ever have. I mean, I know that Teddy will be around, but I'm not raising him, so it won't be like he's solely mine. This little one is, and all I can is hope that I don't screw him up too bad!" he said with a laugh.

"Like we'd ever let you screw your child up Harry James Potter," Hermione said teasingly. "You know we'll all be around to help you out, and you're going to have to share, since it may be awhile before the rest of us have an of our own to spoil." Hermione and Ron had explained to the Weasley family and the Grangers that they had decided they worked better as friends, so everyone now knew that they weren't together anymore. Thankfully they had all taken it well and no blame had been cast. Harry was sure that was more to do with the calm and logical way it had been explained to them all though. When both families saw that neither Ron nor Hermione were unduly upset over the break-up, they certainly didn't see any point in getting up in arms over it.

The extended family sat around the table, enjoying being together and knowing they were all in the presence of people who loved them. It was a lovely relaxing afternoon and the perfect way to de-stress after the horrible events at the trial.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Harry was playing with Lachlan on the floor in the living room, playing keep-away with a little green dragon plushie and making Lachlan giggle almost hysterically. He had just given Lachlan the dragon and dropped down beside him to lay and enjoy watching him play, when Dobby popped into the room.

"Hi Dobby," Harry said with a big smile.

"Hi Harry," Dobby beamed back at him. "There is being an owl for yous Harry. Did you wants me to bring it in here?"

Harry had no sooner nodded at Dobby than he had popped out and back in again, holding an owl with the letter still attached. "The owl wouldn't let Dobby take the letter Harry, was being nasty until Dobby agreed to bring him in here to you."

Harry hopped up off the floor, coming over to Dobby. He bent and detached the letter, addressing the owl as he did. "I'm not sure who you belong to fella, but you should know that Dobby is allowed to take messages for me, if you're going to be returning, that is," he said, smiling and giving the owl a treat. The owl hooted softly, almost apologetically and then Dobby popped out to take him out to be released.

Opening the letter, Harry saw it was from Healer Bloomfeld. Recalling that the Healer had said he would only contact him earlier than their next 3 monthly appointment if there was anything of concern in Lachlan's blood tests, he quickly read through the letter.

 _Mr Potter_

 _With regards to the recent blood tests we performed for your son Lachlan, we have discovered an anomaly that we would like to discuss with you._

 _Could you please make an appointment to come in and see me at your earliest convenience? If the time suits you, I have an appointment available at 3pm tomorrow. If this does not suit, please send an owl to arrange a different date and time. If this does suit, there is no need to reply, just arrive at the scheduled time._

 _Thank you._

 _Healer Clayton Bloomfeld._

Harry knew that, even if he had previously had something to do tomorrow at 3pm, he would have attended that appointment regardless, since he didn't want to wait any longer than necessary. The letter didn't seem to indicate any actual problems, just that there was an 'anomaly' found. He decided not to worry about it until the Healer could clarify it for him. No sense worrying if there wasn't anything to worry about, and if there was, well he wouldn't know until tomorrow anyway.

With that, Harry put the letter on the side table and re-joined his son on the floor. Lachlan got all excited and started waving his arms around and kicking his legs, inadvertently throwing his dragon plushie out of reach above his head. He twisted this way and that trying to see it before rolling over and grizzling when he realised he couldn't reach it. Harry waited, curious to see what he would do. Lachlan managed to get his hands and knees under him and rocked back and forth a few times, clearly trying to move himself closer to the toy. Suddenly he squealed in seeming frustration and the plushie came flying towards him, landing snugly right between his fisted hands.

Harry sat up, astonished at witnessing Lachlan's first accidental magic. _Merlin, 5 months old and already doing magic. Actually, first that I have seen since he may have even done it before he came to live here, but I don't have any way of knowing that. Well, I guess at least we know he is definitely magical and will be able to fit in and go to Hogwarts with Teddy!_ He thought to himself.

Harry clapped his hands, startling Lachlan. Lachlan looked over at him with big eyes, before relaxing and grinning a toothless grin when he saw the smile on Harry's face. Harry picked Lachlan and the plushie up and squeezed him while tickling his sides. Lachlan squealed and squirmed, unable to escape. Father and son played together for the rest of the day, going to bed that night with happy smiles. Harry lay in bed reflecting on the day, marvelling at how enjoyable it had been to spend that time with Lachlan without any worries hanging over him. Sure, he knew tomorrow may bring one more thing to deal with, but he felt more confident that he would definitely be able to handle anything that came their way, as long as he had Lachlan, his elf friends and his loving family beside him.

* * *

The next day, Harry and Lachlan went to St Mungo's to meet with Healer Clayton, as he had asked Harry to call him. Harry didn't mind admitting he was a little bit nervous about what the Healer had to tell him, but he was definitely feeling a lot more relaxed about any surprises that may come out of their meeting.

Once the receptionist showed them into the Healer's room, Harry strode forward and shook hands with the man. "Healer Clayton," he said warmly.

"Mr Potter, Master Potter, lovely to see you again. Please, take a seat," he said, gesturing towards the plush chairs in front of his desk.

"Please Healer Clayton, just call me Harry, and my son is Lachlan. I think we can dispense with the formalities between us in future," Harry said with a laugh. Healer Clayton chuckled and agreed.

After they exchanged pleasantries, Harry took a seat with Lachlan on his lap as usual, but this time with his dragon plushie, since the baby had been reluctant to be parted from it since he managed to summon it to him the previous day.

Healer Clayton smiled at them both, then began. "So, I mentioned in my note to you about an anomaly that had been discovered in Lachlan's blood. We have determined that it is definitely showing something other than human in him, however we have no idea what this 'other' thing is. It doesn't register with any of the known creatures we have seen in the wizarding race before. It's possible we're looking at something entirely new here, or maybe even something that hasn't been seen for a very long time.

We can tell that this anomaly is dominant, meaning Lachlan will see some changes when he goes through his majority, however we couldn't even begin to guess at what those changes might be. I would suggest, for the time being, that we simply monitor him over the next few years. I don't believe we'll see any significant changes in Lachlan until he's much older, possibly not until he hits puberty. I'm thinking we should be testing him once a year to see if anything changes, but other than that, I don't believe there is any cause for concern until much, much later in his life."

Harry listed carefully to what the Healer had to say, then relaxed when he heard him stress that he didn't believe there to be anything to worry about until much later. "Do you think I should maybe tell him about the blood adoption while he's still young, prepare him for the possibility of changes occurring later on in his life? I was originally thinking of having a talk with him when he's around 10 or so, but now I'm thinking maybe I should have a simplified talk with him about it when he's about 5, then more in depth when he's around 10. What do you think Healer Clayton?" Harry asked. He knew that the Healer had likely dealt with similar issues in children previously and would be a good source of advice for him on the matter.

"Well, I think you might have the right idea Harry. Of course, we may end up being able to determine more of what you can expect with future testing, but with what we know at the moment, it's all going to be guesswork until something actually happens. I admit, I wish I had more decisive information for you, however I really don't want you to worry over this. Whatever _this_ is, we will get you both through it, whatever may come," he said determinedly. "We will stick to the 3-monthly check-ups we had previously arranged, and we'll do blood tests every year as discussed. I don't think anything else is necessary, but we'll adapt as needed, depending on the results of those tests. Sound good to you?" the Healer asked.

Sighing in relief, Harry smiled at Healer Clayton. "Sounds good," he agreed.

They chatted for a bit longer, with Harry sharing the news of Lachlan's bit of accidental magic that had occurred the previous day. The Healer was impressed at Lachlan showing his magic so early. "He'll be a strong one, that's for sure," he said excitedly.

"As long as he's happy, I honestly couldn't care," Harry said, laughing at the Healer's almost giddy reaction. They chatted for a bit longer, before the receptionist announced Healer Clayton's next appointment had arrived. They said a round of farewells and headed home.

By the time Harry got home, he was feeling excited about what the future may hold for his little family. He had worried about being a single dad, whether he would be enough for his son, but he honestly couldn't imagine getting involved with anyone after the debacle of his relationship with Ginny. He had known Ginny for years, or he had thought he did anyway. If he could be fooled so easily by someone he had trusted for so long, how could he possibly trust himself or his judgement when it came to letting a complete stranger into their lives? No, he thought it better that he and Lachlan remain by themselves, with their very extended family. That would be enough for him. For the foreseeable future anyway. Maybe later he would feel differently, but he knew for now, this was enough.


	8. Chapter 8 - Chapter 7

**A/N: OK, so we have our first minor time skip here. As mentioned there will be others. No warnings that I can think of for this chapter.**

 **A/N2: Also, brief timeline of the events leading up to now:  
Final battle - May 1-2 1998**

 **House in Hogsmeade bought - Monday 25th May 1998**

 **Proposed to Ginny - Friday 25th December 1998**

 **Planned wedding date - Sat 26th June 1999**

 **Lachlan arrives - Friday 25th June 1999 (5 months old approx)**

Chapter 7

 _3 months later (Lachlan 8 months old approximately)_

Harry and Lachlan were now in a well-established routine. They spent the days playing and bonding, Lachlan had his day time naps and Harry used this time to get any paperwork done or meetings with Gringotts about his investments etc. Then they had dinner with their little family of elves before Harry rocked Lachlan to sleep, reading him magical stories while he had his bottle.

On the weekends they went to dinner at the Weasley's on Saturday nights. Andromeda and Teddy usually came as well, Teddy being a perfect playmate for Lachlan. Bill and Fleur's little girl, Victoire, was just a bit older than Teddy and loved playing with the boys too. They were all quite inseparable, often falling asleep in a krup-pile all snuggled up together.

On Sundays, Harry would take Lachlan out. He wanted to make sure that Lachlan grew up experiencing as much as he could of both the muggle and magical worlds. So far they had gone to parks, to the Zoo in London, to Hogwarts to visit Hagrid and Minerva. Lachlan loved all the shiny things in Minerva's office, and Hagrid let him pet the nifflers he was minding at the moment. He also had some puffskeins there and let Lachlan hold one, after Harry showed him how to be gentle with it. Lachlan fell in love with the little ice white puffskein and didn't want to leave it behind when it was time to go. Harry made a mental note to get one when he was a bit older.

Lachlan was also now more mobile, crawling seemingly everywhere at once. Harry had needed to baby-proof the house so that he didn't manage to pull something down on himself after a near-miss with a crystal ornament when Lachlan had pulled on the tablecloth hanging off the coffee table in the living room. Some sticking charms had kept everything in place, so now Harry figured he'd be ok until Lachlan learned not to grab everything in reach.

One day, almost 4 months after Lachlan came to live with him, Harry went in to get him out of his crib in the morning, calling out softly, "Lachlan. Where's my sweet boy?" as he came in the room.

Lachlan giggled sleepily and rolled over to look at Harry through the wooden slats of the crib, a big smile on his face. He babbled softly to Harry as he came closer, beaming smile on his face. Harry swung him up into his arms, Lachlan's head finding its usual spot in the crook of Harry's neck. He gave a sleepy contented sigh and snuggled into Harry as he was carried downstairs. As Lachlan's hand came up to clutch at Harry's shirt, harry noticed a flash of gold on his wrist. He softly grabbed Lachlan's hand and held his arm out so he could see what it was that caught his attention.

On Lachlan's left wrist, there was now a beautiful gold charm bracelet. The little charms were very detailed, consisting of 6 miniature gold books, interspersed with what looked like a scroll with miniature rune-like writing on it, a gold lightning bolt(1), a little gold hammer of some sort(2), a little gold raven(3), a symbol that looked like 3 triangles interlinked(4), and a tiny spinning wheel and spindle that looked to be made of amber(5). Harry stared at the bracelet, thinking how gorgeous it was, then wondering where on earth it had come from as it certainly wasn't there last night.

Lachlan started to grizzle at the lack of movement so Harry kissed his little hand and let him clutch at his shirt as he continued on into the kitchen, still wondering about the bracelet's sudden appearance. He knew it couldn't have been there the night before as he would have noticed it when he was getting Lachlan bathed and ready for bed. So where could it have possibly come from?

As Harry entered the kitchen, Winky and Dobby both chirruped a happy greeting at him and Lachlan. Harry smiled at them both distractedly, unable to stop thinking about the bracelet. The elves looked at each, a little worried about Harrys' distraction. Winky approached him and hesitantly asked, "Harry? Is something being wrong this morning?"

Harry refocused and looked at Winky, giving her a more natural smile. "No, sorry Winky. I just noticed this morning that Lachlan has a gold bracelet on his wrist. I don't suppose you know anything about it, do you?" Harry asked hopefully, wilting slightly when both elves shook their heads.

"No Harry, we's not be seeing it before. It reeks of magic Harry but doesn't feel bad. You wills want to get it checked out, just to be sure is safe for Little Master," Dobby said.

Harry nodded, already planning on doing that. "We'll go out this morning to the jeweller's in Diagon Alley and see if they can identify the charms on it," Harry said firmly.

They ate breakfast, Harry relaxing a bit now that he had a course of action. He was a little worried about what charms might be on the bracelet, but he didn't feel anything bad on it. On the contrary, it felt soothing, warm. It gave him a good feeling, like protective magic, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

Harry reached down and tried to unclasp the bracelet from Lachlans' wrist, only to find that there didn't appear to be any type of catch that he could see. He turned it this way and that and finally just accepted that he wouldn't be getting it off Lachlan without help. This made his worry increase a little more. He didn't like the idea of his son with a charmed bracelet on that he couldn't remove, especially one that he had no idea what it did, if anything.

After they finished breakfast, Harry got Lachlan and himself ready for their trip and flooed to Diagon Alley.

Once in Diagon Alley, Harry and Lachlan made their way to Joolz's Jewels Emporium. As they entered a little bell above the door chimed and a young lady came out of the back room to the counter. She was a pretty brunette and seemed very relaxed. She instantly put him at ease and he could tell she would be a good sales person because of that.

"Good morning sir, how may I help you today?" she asked with a smile. Harry thought it was nice that she didn't gush and carry on like so many other people did when he went anywhere these days.

"I'm hoping you can help me identify any spell work that might be on a bracelet that my son is wearing," Harry said. "He went to bed as normal last night, but when he woke up this morning, the bracelet was on his wrist. I can't remove it and, although nothing about the magic feels harmful, it worries me that it appeared without warning and I can't take it off him!" Harry said in a bit of a rush. By the time he finished his story, Harry was starting to feel anxious again.

The young lady immediately picked up on the slight edge of hysteria in Harry's voice and replied in a calming tone, "That's ok, we can take a look and see what we can find. My name is Lydia, my uncle owns this shop and is a premier spell worker when it comes to jewellery and the charms you can cast on them. If anyone can work this out for you, he can," she said. "I'll just go and get my uncle for you," Lydia said as she went into the back room again.

Harry stood waiting, feeling more nervous now that he was here. He truly hoped there was nothing malicious about this bracelet. The one thing he worried the most about was that he couldn't remove it and Lachlan was very little at the moment but would be growing quite quickly in the next few years. His mind shied away from thinking of the possibilities of that train of thought!

To his relief, Lydia came back in the shop then, followed by an older man. The man was a little heavy-set, but he had a warm smile that reached his eyes. Harry immediately felt at east and hoped he would be able to help them.

"Hello young sir, my name is Benjamin Bennett, uncle to young Lydia here. My niece tells me you have a bracelet that your son is wearing that you're concerned about?" he queried gently.

"Yes. I honestly don't have any idea where it came from. When I put Lachlan to bed last night, he wasn't wearing it. When I got him out of his crib this morning, he was. It just appeared on him and it worries me because I can't get it off. I need to make sure there's no danger present of course, but I also mostly need to make sure that it will either be removable or grow with him," Harry explained.

"Well, let's get the lad up here on the counter and I'll have a look," Benjamin said calmly.

Harry moved closer to the counter and placed Lachlan on it. Lachlan immediately began looking around at all the pretty glittering objects in the store. Benjamin came closer and Lachlan watched him carefully, not pulling away or turning to harry, just watching. When Benjamin reached Lachlan, he started talking to him soothingly as he gave Lachlan a little carved train to play with. Naturally, the train immediately went into Lachlan's mouth and he gummed it while babbling away.

Benjamin took advantage of Lachlan's distraction to pull his wand and cast some diagnostics on the bracelet. The man hmm'ed and ahh'ed for a few minutes before he turned back to Harry.

"Well, you will be pleased to know that there is nothing harmful on the bracelet. I can detect a charm to make it grow with the boy, so that won't be a problem. Unfortunately I can also detect a charm that seems to be a self-limiting locking charm. It's my opinion that it's designed to come off at a certain age, but the charms are not like anything I've seen before, so I can't be certain of the exact reason for them. I do believe there's nothing to worry about, though I can certainly understand your hesitation, given who you are," he said with a smile.

Harry started and his eyes flew back to meet the older man's. "I apologise, I wasn't intending to hide my identity. I was just so worried about Lachlan that I didn't think to introduce myself. Obviously you know who I am, so that won't be necessary, however I would like to thank you for taking a look at the bracelet for me," Harry said, smiling at Benjamin.

"No worries Mr Potter, I certainly am not offended. It only makes sense that you must be getting sick of the constant attention and gushing about now," he said with a chuckle.

"Honestly, you have no idea," Harry laughed. "So you think it will be ok? The bracelet I mean," Harry asked.

"I do," Benjamin said firmly. "I don't believe there's anything nefarious in it, and it is certainly a splendid piece of work. If you do ever find out who made it, I would be interested in meeting them and discussing their charm work. There's always room to learn more," he said with a smile.

"Alright," Harry said, letting loose a sigh of relief. "I'll happily take your word for it at this point. I'll have to see if I can find out anything. I will let you know if I come across the person who made it," Harry promised. He shook hands with Benjamin, said goodbye to Lydia and left the store.

"Well, that was certainly a load off my mind Lachlan," Harry said, cuddling Lachlan close as they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron to floo home. Harry then had a thought and realised he could probably speak to Bill about the bracelet, see if he would take a look and give him a second opinion. He decided to floo call Bill once he got home.

* * *

After reaching home again, Harry fed and changed Lachlan and put him down on his play mat to amuse himself while he called and spoke to Bill. He called for Winky and asked her to watch Lachlan for a bit. He may only be little, but he was really mobile when he saw something he wanted. After quickly grabbing some lunch for himself, he went to the floo and put in a call to Bill at Shell Cottage.

"Hello?" he called. "Bill? Fleur?" Harry looked around the empty sitting room while he waited for someone to answer him. He really loved this old cottage. It may have been small but it was homey and had the same warm feeling that he usually experienced at the Burrow. He was glad that the small family had somewhere nice to raise their little one.

Just then, Fleur walked into the room. Harry smiled as she gracefully knelt in front of the floo. "Harry, it's so good to see you! Did you want to come through?" she asked happily. Harry marvelled at how quickly her accent had settled down into something much easier to understand.

"Hi Fleur. No, thank you, I was actually wondering if I could borrow Bill for a little bit. I have a bit of a puzzler that I could use his help with. Is he around?" Harry asked warmly.

"Yes, he is putting Victoire down for a nap. I'll send him through in a few minutes, if that works for you?" she asked.

"Great, thanks Fleur," Harry said gratefully. "I'll try not to keep him too long. I know you don't usually have many days where you're both at home at the same time," he said with a grin.

"Thank you Harry. You know he will be pleased to help in any way, but I do appreciate you thinking of me," Fleur said with an airy laugh.

Harry chuckled as he said his goodbyes, terminating the call.

Harry ate his lunch and then asked Winky to bring a tea service and some snacks in for when Bill got there. A quick warming charm made sure the tea was still hot when Bill arrived, just as Harry was finishing his lunch.

Bill stepped gracefully from the floo, causing Harry to mutter about show-offs and how much the dreaded floo system hates him. Bill made his way to the couch next to Harry's chair, laughing softly at Harry's mumbling. "Honestly Harry, I'm sure if you practiced it wouldn't be so bad for you. Your problem is that you avoid the floo like it's the Dragon Pox and have made it into a big deal when it doesn't need to be," Bill said, laughing again when Harry mock-glared at him.

"That's enough of your logic mister," Harry said with a smirk. "I think I'll just stick with the fact that the floo hates me and accept that we'll never get along."

Bill shook his head, sighing as he realised that Harry was never going to get over his fixation with equating wizarding modes of travel with torture. "OK, fine, I give up! So, what did you need little brother?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, let me grab Lachlan and I'll show you," Harry said as he went over and picked the baby up and brought him back, sitting him on his lap with his back to Harry's chest. "It's this bracelet, see?" Harry said, holding Lachlan's arm up. "It appeared out of nowhere and I can't get it off him now. I took him into a jeweller's and had them check it for spell work, and they agreed there didn't seem to be anything harmful on it, but I really just wanted to get a second opinion. I know I'm probably worrying for nothing, but I need to be sure," Harry said, hoping Bill, as a father himself, would understand.

"Of course Harry, it's only natural you would be worried about this. I would have been rather frantic myself I have to admit, but that's more about being a curse-breaker than anything else. We tend to always suspect the worst," he said gently. "OK, let me have a good look and we'll make sure, alright?" Bill said, moving closer to the end of the couch so he could reach Harry and Lachlan.

Bill took his time, waving his wand and muttering detection spells while Lachlan looked on, gurgling at Bill almost constantly. Every time Bill cast one of his diagnostic spells, Lachlan would give a pleased little gurgle and grin widely at Bill. Harry wondered if Lachlan was expecially sensitive to magic or if he just liked the feel of Bill's magic in particular.

Bill finally finished up and gave Lachlan a big smile and tickled his feet. Lachlan squealed and wriggled back against Harry, trying to get away while chortling merrily. Bill laughed along with him before sitting back and picking up his tea.

"Well, you'll be pleased to know I agree with this jeweller. There doesn't appear to be any type of harmful intent around the bracelet. I picked up protection charms, a locking charm that seems to be limited in some way, possibly a timed spell that will end on a certain birthday maybe. That would be my best guess anyway. It will definitely grow with him and is charmed impervious to damage and unbreakable. There is also something on each individual charm, but I have no idea what exactly it is. Again, there doesn't seem anything to worry about. I suspect again whatever the spells on those individual charms are also timed spells, since they have the same unique signature that I picked up on the bracelet itself. Honestly Harry, you were right to be get it checked out but I don't think it's anything to worry about."

Harry let out the breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding in at hearing Bill's pronouncement. "Merlin, thank you Bill. I must admit your opinion means more to me than a jeweller I've never met before today, no matter what his reputation in the field. Although Mr Bennett seemed to know what he was talking about, I know you and trust you, so I feel much more relieved knowing you agree with him," Harry said.

Bill stayed long enough to finish his tea and they caught up, chatting about the family, work etc. Eventually he left, heading home to Fleur to enjoy the rest of his day off with his family.

* * *

 _4 months later (Lachlan 1 yr old approximately)_

Harry and Lachlan were in the living room, waiting on their guests to arrive for Lachlan's 1st birthday. Because he had only an approximation of Lachlan's age, he had determined this to be 7 months from the day Lachlan had arrived. Since he arrived on Harry's doorstep on the 25th June, Harry had decided on celebrating his 1st birthday on 23rd January, since it was a Sunday and would be easiest to get the whole family together.

Winky and Dobby had gone a bit overboard (in Harry's opinion only, apparently) on the decorations, lots of blue and silver from the streamers to the balloons. The balloons were in the shape of little quidditch players flying around the table outside, wearing blue and silver uniforms. The outdoor table had been set with a lovely blue tablecloth, and each place setting had little silver snitch shaped gift bags.

Harry had taken Lachlan for a wander outside while they were waiting on everyone to arrive and he had been fascinated with the abundance of colour and the balloon quidditch players. Harry was glad for the distraction since he was trying to keep him clean and ready for guests and had perhaps ended up getting Lachlan dressed a little earlier than he should have.

Lachlan broke into Harry's thoughts just then, squealing excitedly and pointing at the balloons. "Dada, 'ook! B'ooms!" he screeched.

Harry winced at the screech so close to his ear, turning a smile to his son. "Yes Lachlan, b-r-ooms," he said slowly. "Can you say that Lachlan? Come on, say b-r-ooms for Daddy," he cooed.

Lachlan grinned happily at his Daddy. "B'ooms!" he yelled. "B'ooms, b'ooms, b'ooms!" he chanted happily.

Harry hugged his little one close, kissing his cheek and laughing. "Yes, you're a very clever boy. We're going to have to work on that."

 **A/N: The charms on Lachlan's bracelet:**

1\. The lightning bolt to represent Thor.

2\. Thor's hammer, which in most depictions resembles a wedge shaped mallet.

3\. The raven is the original symbol of the Viking god Odin and Odin was said to have ravens as companions.

4\. The Valknut is thought to be a more modern symbol for Odin and came about once the Viking rune language was brought into common use. It consists of 3 triangles interlinked. You can Google for an image of this.

5\. Frigga (also known as Frigg, The Beloved) was the goddess of love, marriage, and destiny. She was the wife of Odin, The All-Father. The Goddess Frigga, who sat at her spindle weaving the destiny of man and gods alike, was the goddess associated with the beginning of each new year. The spinning wheel and spindle are often used as a symbol for this goddess.


	9. Chapter 9 - Chapter 8

**A/N: Once again, I just want to assure that this story will be finished. I am having some issues with health and hours at work, but I am still working on it and will post when i can. I promise, I will not abandon this story! Tbh, I'm having just as much fun as you guys are figuring out where my muse is going to take me next :)**

 **So, on with the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 8: Meanwhile back in Asgard….**

 _Time skip: 5 years later (2005)_

Heimdall stood in silent sentry, as always keeping both eyes open for any trouble in the realms. Occasionally his eye would linger on Midgard, focussing on one particular household and an almost unnoticeable twitch of his lips would occur, as if he was holding back a smile.

On this day, Heimdall was taking a bit more notice than he usually would. The reason for this was that he was delighting in watching the chosen father throwing his adored son a birthday party.

He sensed movement nearby, turning slightly to find Thor coming to a stop beside him.

"How go the realms today Heimdall?" Thor asked with a quick smile.

"Hmm, things in the realms are quiet for once my Prince. One can only hope it will last for a little longer than usual," he said with a wry quirk of his lips.

Thor boomed a deep laugh, clapping Heimdall on the shoulder. "We will hope for the best then," he said in his usual easy-going tone. Slowly though, the smile dropped and his face became more serious. "Have you been able to check on Loki at all? Is my brother doing well?" he asked, almost begging for good news.

Heimdall cut his eyes sideways, glancing at Thor and giving what he hoped was a reassuring nod. "Yes, now that we know about the wards that the young magic user has erected around their residence, I have had no trouble watching over them. Your brother is currently experiencing a 6th birthday party with his new family. He appears to be enjoying himself immensely," he finished with a chuckle.

Thor squeezed Heimdall's shoulder, relieved to hear that Loki was faring well. He, along with the All Father and his mother, had high hopes that a different upbringing would make all the difference in how Loki behaves when he reaches adulthood again. "I'll let Father know that it's time for the first clue," he said, heaving a sigh and moving away, heading back to the palace to arrange a meeting with Odin.

* * *

 _ **Back at Harry's house….**_

Harry finished getting Lachlan cleaned up and into bed, a swiftly muttered switching spell changing the boy into his pyjamas. He heard a contented sigh from his son and ran his hand through Lachlan's hair, brushing the fringe back from his forehead.

He couldn't believe that Lachlan was already 6 years old, meaning over 5 years had passed since he came into Harry's life and heart so mysteriously. He hadn't needed more than a look to fall blissfully in love with the tiny baby. He honestly couldn't love him any more if he was his own biological child.

Hermione had suggested after a year or so to use a spell to attempt to determine who Lachlan's parents were, or failing that, an inheritance potion. However, Harry was still a bit reluctant to do any major tracking down of the parents of the boy that was now his. They had put their faith in Harry to keep him safe and raise him with the values that Harry was so very well known for. Harry's instincts were telling him to let this go. He knew from the letter that had been left with Lachlan that they would be given clues to help Lachlan figure out his own heritage. Presumably these 'clues' would show up when the time was right. Harry had decided to trust in the people who knew best and accept that they would get answers when the time came for them to know.

Harry sat there awhile longer, just listening to his son's breathing, enjoying the peacefulness of his (apparently) dreamless sleep. Lost in his thoughts, it took him a few moments to realise that something was changing. He could feel an indefinable something in the air, becoming more noticeable with each passing minute. There was a sense of something about to happen. Harry was most familiar with this feeling, always seeming to know when something life-altering was about to occur.

Just as Harry stood up, drawing his wand and placing himself between his son's bed and the door, keeping at an angle where he could watch both the door and the window and still safely defend his son, the feeling just….disappeared. He was at a loss to describe it, but generally speaking, when he gets that feeling, it's never a false alarm. He worriedly looks around the room, checking for anything that looks out of place. He notices nothing though, and his confusion rises again. He's honestly stumped as to what that whole thing was about.

Finally Harry holstered his wand again and went to return to his son's bedside. He picked up Lachlan's hand and noticed it seemed very cold, much cooler than it should be considering the house was well-heated and Lachlan's room and bed had heating charms on them to ensure he never gets too cold. He briskly rubbed his own hands over Lachlan's, warming them despite Lachlan not appearing to be disturbed by it at all.

He noticed something glinting out of the corner of his vision and looked to the side, noticing two of the charms from Lachlan's bracelet had detached and now lay on the bed beside and almost tucked under Lachlan. He picked them up; one of the charms was one of the miniature book charms, the other was the lightning bolt. He turned them over, looking for anything out of the ordinary but there was nothing unusual about them that he could see from a brief inspection. They looked the same as they had every other time he had found himself drawn in to checking out the bracelet, which was admittedly quite often. It was a mystery and Harry never could stand to leave a mystery unsolved.

He patted Lachlan's hand, returning it to the bed beside him, but noticed that there was an unfamiliar charm on the bracelet now, in one of the now open spots. This new one was a medallion that had an engraving of a serpent coiled around a wolf, with a raven flying above. He turned it over, noting some runes engraved into the back side. They were very small, he would need some kind of magnification to be able ot read them, and then he would need Hermione's help, since he didn't take Runes at school. He had studied them some since he had left school, but was nowhere near a level of being able to interpret something written using Runes.

He put the charms aside on Lachlan's bedside table, leaned over and brushed a kiss across Lachlan's forehead. Rising, he made his way out of Lachlan's room and down the stairs automatically, lost in his musings about what had just happened, or almost happened, in that room. He had never had that sense before without something dangerous or important happening immediately after. He knew to pay attention to that feeling, it had saved his and other people's lives more than once.

The only thing that was different was the charm detaching, but that seemed entirely too innocuous to have caused such a strong feeling to wash over him at the time. Having said that though, he had come to the conclusion some time ago that the bracelet appearing mysteriously on Lachlan's wrist could likely be connected to these 'clues' that Lachlan was supposed to receive during his childhood. Now that he had seen two of the charms detach and another one mysteriously appear in their place, he felt certain that they would need to decipher what exactly was so important about those two charms specifically. According to Hermione, the lightning bolt may have somehow alluded to Harry himself, given that so many people in their world associated a lightning bolt with Harry due to his famous scar. However, Harry didn't really think that was correct, given that these 'clues' were meant to somehow lead Lachlan and himself to discover Lachlan's heritage. It would make more sense if all of the symbols were about Lachlan's past, or people or events that were important in discovering that past.

Harry was broken out of his musings when he turned into the living room and Ron spoke. "Little guy go down okay?" he asked with a smirk.

Harry smirked right back at him. "Yes, as you would have guessed he was worn out. I didn't even get him out of his party clothes before he passed out, right in the middle of a sentence if you can believe it. I had to make do with cleaning charms and then a switching spell to change his clothes for pyjamas. He's getting a little big for me to manhandle like I used to," he said grumpily.

Hermione, Ron and Andromeda snickered quietly as Harry turned to glare at them amusedly. "Oh honestly Harry, he's growing so quickly and you're…not very tall to begin with. You had to know he was going to tower over you eventually!" Hermione said with a smile and a huff.

"Yeah, eventually, sure. Not like when he's 6!" Harry protested. He's almost to my armpit now, given another couple of years he'll be taller than me, and won't that be embarrassing," he sighed, before giving up and laughing with the rest of them. "I know, everyone's taller than me and I should be used to it, but this is my kid! It's not right for merlin's sake," he managed to get out around his laughter.

Ron simply smiled at him smugly. "I was taller than Dad by the time I was 15 mate, and not just by a little bit. And I've been taller than you for years now. I know you go on about how hard it is being one of the shortest people in our year, but really, do you have any idea how hard it is being the tallest? Not many things in our world are made for people of above-average height," he smirked.

"Well, at least you could always borrow things from Hagrid," Harry said, still breaking into soft giggles as he thought about it. "That would certainly help with making you not feel quite so oversized!"

"Yeah, well, you could always borrow from professor Flitwick! Might make you realise you're not as disadvantaged as some," Ron retorted without thinking.

Everyone else stopped to stare at him, Hermione and Harry both gaping. "I can't believe you just said that," Andromeda breathed out. She knew how sensitive Harry was about his…lack of height. She, like pretty much everyone else, was also taller than Harry by at least 4 or 5 inches. But then, the Black family members had always been quite tall. They all turned their attention to Harry, noticing the shocked look on his face. Ron braced for the tongue-lashing he just knew he was about to get.

Suddenly just burst into huge belly laughs, tipping over on the couch before rolling off onto the floor. He continued laughing uninterrupted, watched by Ron, Hermione and Andromeda, until finally he managed to stifle his chuckles and take some deep breaths.

"Oh Merlin Ron, thank you! I needed that," he said, around a few stray giggles. "I have to admit, I never really thought of it that way, but now that we have things in perspective again," he said, shooting Ron a wicked look, "there's something I wanted to let you know that happened while I was getting Lachlan settled."

Harry went on to detail the sense of an indefinable 'something' coming, then that sense withering and his subsequent finding of the charms that had detached and the new charm now on the bracelet. When he finished, they all sat quietly, contemplating what their next steps should be.

"Oh Harry! Well we certainly didn't expect this just yet. I must admit, I thought we had a few years before this type of thing started to happen. Did you bring the two charms down with you? Which ones were they? What was the new charm? Did anything else happen when the charms detached or the new one appeared?" Hermione got out in a rush.

Harry blinked at her, well used to the speed by now but having to run it back in his mind to make sense and answer correctly. "OK, let's see if I got that right. No, I left the charms on Lachlan's bedside table, I felt like they needed to be with him at the time. The two charms that detached were the lightning bolt and one of the little gold book charms. The new charm that appeared on the bracelet is a medallion of some sort with an image of a wolf, raven and snake depicted. On the back of the medallion are some characters that look like they could be Runes. I'll leave that to you to look into tomorrow Hermione, since I know I won't be much use with that. And no, nothing else happened while all this was going on. Oh! Actually that's not quite true. Just before all of this started, I had picked up Lachlan's hand and noticed it was very cold, like icy cold. I was trying to warm his hands when I caught the glint of the charms that had come off his bracelet," Harry said, surprised he had not mentally linked the two anomalies at the time. "Yes, I think that's about it," Harry said slowly, tapping his chin with a finger while he went over everything to make sure he hadn't missed anything important. "Nope, that's it. Nothing else to add for now," Harry said with an impudent grin aimed at Hermione.

Hermione, for her part, was just glaring at Harry, before the look softened into one of indulgence. She really couldn't stay mad at Harry for long. "We'll get into all that tomorrow, Hermione said. " For now, I think home and bed sounds like a brilliant idea. I had no idea how exhausting a 6 year old's birthday party could be!" she said with a look of quiet confusion on her face.

Harry had a brief thought that it was quite a becoming look on her, before he shook his head to clear it. Those types of thoughts had been creeping up on him for the last year or two. He had a couple of thoughts like that back when Ron and Hermione first split up, but he knew the rules of brotherhood, you don't date your best friend's ex. The only problem was that Hermione was the only person he connected to on any sort of romantic level that he was both he was fond of and could stand to be in the same room with. He was surprised and completely amazed that she hadn't yet dated anyone else since she broke up with Ron, but was very glad that she and Ron got along so well now. The bitterness was there for a short time, but only in a very minor way. They both appeared to have got over whatever residual emotions lurk after a break up way quicker than harry thought they would. Considering how much the two of them liked to argue and snipe at each other, Harry would have been less shocked if they kept away from each other for a little while until the worst was over, but it seemed like life just moved on and before they knew it, things were back like they were before 4th year, when the attraction was first noticed between Ron and Hermione. The three of them were closer than ever, and Lachlan had only server to give them something to unite over.

Harry sighed, then looked at the clock. Almost midnight and he was exhausted. "Alright then, you guys are welcome to stay over if you want to. You know where your rooms are. If not, then just come over tomorrow if you've nothing on, whenever you wake up is fine. You have access through the floo and, if I'm not awake, Dobby and Winky will make you some tea and brekky if you ask nicely," he said with a grin. "I can't imagine I will be sleeping in, no matter how late Lachlan went to bed. I only hope he doesn't wake up all grumpy and overtired after such a late night!" he said, grimacing to himself.

Andromeda sighed. "Yes, he certainly does appear to have your temper when he's tired," she said, shooting Harry a very pointed look. Harry just blushed and shrugged. He kind of liked knowing that Lachlan had some of his mannerisms and behaviours. It made him feel more like Lachlan's father to have those things in common with him, which was quite ridiculous when you think about it.

Harry bade everyone good night, wandered up to his room and had a quick hot shower before waving his wand to clothe himself in loose fitting pyjama pants and a soft t-shirt. With that done, he finally fell onto the bed and sank gratefully into oblivion.


End file.
